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Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
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8:25 pm - Writer's Block: Redoing Nature's Color Palette
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More blue food. That is all.
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| Friday, June 8th, 2007
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5:01 pm - glad it's friday
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I've been dying in cold & flu hell for the last three days. Yesterday was my birthday (I'm old, let's face it), and I pretty much slept through it when I wasn't worshiping the porcelain king. I hope none of you get what I've had.
Thank the gods I've got good friends online (Facebook & Newsvine rock!) who made the day as special as they could for me. Even as wretched as I am, they made me feel loved. I'll not forget that either.
current mood:  relaxed
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| Monday, May 28th, 2007
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1:30 am - We. Featuring the words of Arundhati Roy
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current mood:  busy
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| Friday, May 18th, 2007
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10:34 pm - Getting Productive
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I'm posting this via GoogleTalk, believe it or not. Over the last few weeks, I've been able to interact with several different applications, including blogs, via IM. How? Well, you see, there's some clever folks over at imified.com who make this possible. The best part is, there's no complicated signing up for yet another service, no profiles to fill out, no... none of that. You just add the imified bot as one of your contacts on your favorite IM chat client, send it a message, and your account is created. From there, you go into your account via a menu in IM, and set up your services with various widgets.
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| Wednesday, March 14th, 2007
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12:37 am - I'm not dead... yet.
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*grin*
Been over a year since I wandered through the door over here. Long time, no see.
How have you been?
- Áine
current mood: busy
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| Friday, February 17th, 2006
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12:41 am - in the midst of a long winter
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It's about this time of year when I really dislike living so far up north... winter lasts so long here. I feel like I should be hibernating, and in some ways, I guess I have been.
Looks like the UI has changed a lot since the last time I popped in for a visit... but looking at the posts and whatnot, I guess that was about 18 weeks ago. Heh. I really don't mean to be gone so long, but I get busy on other things, other sites, and don't remember to login over here. Doh! Looks like they've been busy adding a lot of stuff, most of which looks pretty useful... still not like having wordpress on your own server, but overall, not too shabby... I'm impressed.
A quick hello to malakh, gothikfaerie, dubthach, rhiannasilel, cangelo, tass, lupabitch, and the rest of youse. :)
I've been busy with mostly web-related things, as usual. Lots of work to do, as I'm migrating things to another webhost, which is not a lot of fun, but a necessary evil. I've got 100 poems online now (sort of a milestone, I guess), am still writing about politics, and am experimenting with various apps and plugins, not the least of which is the new-ish Flock browser (which isn't even in beta yet).
We've got a couple of feet of snow on the ground, but nothing like what we normally have this time of year, so I'm thinking: global warming is not a bunch of hooey. On the other side of the globe, I saw pictures from Japan and they have so much snow that people literally had to dig tunnels out to the streets. This is not something they're used to having to deal with. And then there's the record snowfall in NY - I was there during the record storms in the late 60's, and this broke those records.
My son is in Infantry School at Camp Pendleton right now. I guess tomorrow is the 20K "hike" by which he either passes and graduates or fails and begins again from day one of training. Needless to say, he's not wanting to do all that again. If he manages to pass, he'll go on to Security Forces School... two years of training, from what he tells me. In the meantime, he gets weekend liberties, and spends most of his time shopping (buying stuff for his little brother and spoiling him mercilessly)... thank the gods they're finally getting along with each other. He also got suckered into buying into some kind of education program, so all kinds of books are arriving here at the house (encyclopedias, CLEP preparation materials, and other unknown books in boxes I haven't even opened yet). Everything is getting stacked into the corner until I clear out a room upstairs to put it all into. He might be home again next month, as the Security school doesn't start until April, but we'll see. I don't know if they'll give him another month off like they did at Christmas when the next place he had to go to was closed for a month, but if they do, it'll mean recruiter duty here (and there's no recruiter office nearby, so it means he just stays home).
And yeah, I am worried about Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and wherever else Shrub decides to start a war. I guess that's why I remain active in the political blogging arena... I have to know what's going on, even if it's not all sweetness and light (and we know it isn't). I keep hoping for impeachment, but I'm not that optimistic to think it's really going to happen. Heh.
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| Thursday, February 16th, 2006
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11:55 pm - Labor Issues
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Hotel Workers Rising!
From the page:
Hotel workers are uniting across North America to launch a new campaign to raise awareness and build support as they seek to improve their jobs and secure better lives for themselves and their families.
Join Senator John Edwards, Actor/Director Danny Glover, Mayors and other elected officials, UNITE HERE Presidents Bruce Raynor and John Wilhelm, thousands of hotel workers, and other community, union and entertainment figures across North America:
* Los Angeles, February 16, 4:30 pm
Downtown Sheraton Hotel, 711 South Hope Street
* Chicago, February 17, 4:30 pm
The Drake Hotel, 140 E. Walton (at Michigan Ave), Ballroom
* Boston, February 18, 11:30 am
The Ritz-Carlton Boston, 15 Arlington Street,
Grand Ballroom
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| Thursday, October 13th, 2005
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9:57 pm - A Knock on the Duir
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http://www.duirwaighgallery.com/inspiration_trailer.htm
If you haven't seen this yet, please do. You must have sound capabilities when you see it. Feel free to pass this link around to your friends inside and outside of LJ. I watch this whenever I'm having a shitty day.
Enjoy!
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| Saturday, August 13th, 2005
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12:59 am - Living Myth
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I don't know how many of you are aware of what's going on politically right now, but I assume some of you, at least, have heard of Cindy Sheehan, the mom who is camped outside of the Bush "ranch" down in Crawford, TX, waiting for him to meet with her to explain just what this "noble cause" her son, Casey, died for in Iraq. Well, I won't go through the whole entire story here because you can google that and read it for yourselves. But some of you might remember a time, not so long ago when it was felt by many, especially after Nov. 2, 2004, that this historical-political time period is on some higher level a battle of forces way beyond what it appears to be. Some likened it to the battle against Sauron, and many felt that Mordor was winning.
I have news.
It's August, the president is on Vacation, there is no news to cover, so the Press hangs around the gates of the Bush ranch in Texas all August bored out of their skulls. But along comes this mother of a dead soldier, demanding answers of the president... when no one in the House, the Senate, the Media, or even Hollywood, would DARE to hold his feet to the fire and demand honest answers. She was, simply, a voice crying in the wilderness, petitioning her government for redress of grievances. The police and the neighboring property owners would not allow the group to peacefully protest on the land, and relegated the soldier's mother and her group to the roadside ditch, and halted their progress to the ranch a few miles short of the goal. The ditch. Where there is long grass, fire ants, and possibly rattlesnakes. The ditch. They honor the mother of a slain soldier by forcing her to march in the ditch in the Texas heat!
To our utter amazement, the media actually showed up... ALL of the media, worldwide. How could they not?
And it put the president in a bit of a pickle (pun intended). If he or his minions attacked her or attempted to have her arrested, it would make them look even worse than not meeting with her. And thanks to the bloggers (and then the media) millions of eyes are now watching, keeping her safe.
And then, it began to rain... and rain... and rain. And in between it was unbearably hot, in the hundred degrees range. But nobody lost hope... at least, no one outside the Bush ranch. We thought the police might be a bit of a problem, but as it turns out, the Secret Service (SS, how appropriate!) has been a bit more of a pain in the arse... Sauron's henchmen and all, yanno. The other night, most of us were wide awake, well past the time when most of the world is sleeping because we feared they would all be arrested in the middle of the night under cover of darkness when no cameras would be capable of recording anything. SS vehicles raced up and down the road. The protesters there were warned like 40 times that they just "might" get run over by speeding cars. But the thing is, there were two checkpoints on that road, and the only speeding vehicles around belonged to the SS. We were, needless to say, thinking this was a bit threatening... and we waited, wide-eyed most of the night to make sure nothing happened. Even those of us that weren't there, we waited online.
Veterans for Peace showed up with 1,000 white crosses (Arlington West), representing 1,000 of the 1,850 reported dead American soldiers, and they set the crosses up in the ditch, three deep, all along the road where a contingent of protestors begins to grow. People from all over the United States are beginning to hear about "What's going on down in Crawford." 1,000 crosses lining the ditch. Many of us have been choking back tears, many times over the past week. So many poignant moments captured in images, uploaded from everyone who has gone there. I've lost count of the number of times I've choked up and barely was able to keep typing. 38 Congressmen wrote a letter to the president asking him to meet and talk to Cindy Sheehan, and advising him that nothing bad better happen to those folks protesting in the ditch.
And then...
King Aragorn showed up!
True. Viggo Mortensen drives to Crawford and adds his support. I am not shitting you. This evening, Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks called Cindy Sheehan on the phone. And the story is still being written.
Again, I find myself choking back tears. My son is in his second week of Marine Corps bootcamp as I write this.
---
Many people, including myself, have been working in the background of things that are going on down there in Crawford, TX. Myself and my partners who run a news site/forums/podcasts, among other things, have been helping this woman's protest come together -- as it started out as nothing but a whim on her part -- and no one had planned for such a thing to occur. We and Democratic Underground (among many other places online and with a whole lot of help from many other people via the internet), have all been providing support to those at the Crawford Peace House and at the site where she protests, named Camp Casey. We have been using our technical skills, finding/calling vendors, arranging for port-a-potties, sending donations, publicizing the story on our site and in our podcasts, providing helpful contacts, and anything else we could think of to send aid to those folks down in Texas. We're still doing that.
It is up to each being to decide whether to act or not. You can help. And, if you can make it, don't forget the Peace March scheduled for Washington, DC, Sept. 24-26.
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not whither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken.
A light from the shadow shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."
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| Sunday, June 26th, 2005
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1:28 am - I could live with most of these.
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1:17 am - Hopeless Romantic... no surprises there.
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As if you were born into a world of tears, you
always tend to look at the darker things in
life. Inside you crave attention yet push away
society, and you're a hopeless romantic. Drawn
to things like the occult and mysteries, you
spend your time daydreaming.
What Type of Soul Do You Have ?
brought to you by Quizilla
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| Wednesday, May 4th, 2005
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5:02 am - Answers to Life's Questions : Ask the Oracle
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| Monday, April 18th, 2005
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4:08 am - I don't speak Dixie anymore (but I used to).
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Your Linguistic Profile:
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70% General American English |
15% Upper Midwestern |
10% Yankee |
5% Midwestern |
0% Dixie |
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| Sunday, March 27th, 2005
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7:20 pm - Belief-O-Matic
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Take the Belief-O-Matic Faith Test
Answer 20 questions about your concept of God, the afterlife, human nature, and more, and Belief-O-Matic will tell you what religion (if any) you practice... or ought to consider practicing.
Here's my results:
1. Mahayana Buddhism (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (97%)
3. Neo-Pagan (96%)
4. Liberal Quakers (90%)
5. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (87%)
6. New Age (87%)
7. Theravada Buddhism (81%)
8. Hinduism (77%)
9. Taoism (73%)
10. Jainism (70%)
11. New Thought (70%)
12. Sikhism (70%)
13. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (67%)
14. Bahá'í Faith (66%)
15. Secular Humanism (62%)
16. Scientology (59%)
17. Reform Judaism (58%)
18. Orthodox Quaker (50%)
19. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (45%)
20. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (39%)
21. Nontheist (35%)
22. Orthodox Judaism (35%)
23. Jehovah's Witness (33%)
24. Islam (24%)
25. Seventh Day Adventist (21%)
26. Eastern Orthodox (15%)
27. Roman Catholic (15%)
current mood:  contemplative
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| Saturday, March 12th, 2005
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7:09 pm - An Open Letter to Friends and Former Friends
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Death is a universal human experience, yet wide variations exist in the ways in which different intellectual and spiritual traditions understand and manage grief and mourning. Each person has a subtle mind that migrates through the grieving process and how it relates to their experiences in this life, as well as the other lives they've lived. It is difficult to give up yearning for attachment to relatives, friends, or lovers, or to stop struggling to hold on to one's past life, and the people that have meant so much. It is difficult to leave things unfinished or to let go of all the things cherished. I have been guilty of clinging to those that I have cherished. I have been guilty of clinging onto grief and the pain and suffering that accompany it. I am guilty of feeling my pain. To open one's heart to all the pain, to experience all of the grief and tears, to allow one's Self to feel... is to truly live a full life, a life of Being Real. Jim Morrison once said:
"People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they're afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It's all in how you carry it. That's what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you're letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain."
Some people don't seem able to accept that, though, and have tried to deny me my right to feel my pain... to work through it in my own way, at my own pace. Perhaps they don't understand that each of us must go through this in our own way and not in others' ways, and that it takes some of us longer to get through to the other side than others. Grief does not disappear in a day or in a week. It takes time for grief to dissolve into solace. I have recently realized that in my own life, that having not been permitted to work through my pain and grief in my own way and in my own time, it has... accumulated... making my own journey to face grief and find solace just that much more difficult. Grief can be an opportunity for an individual to examine his or her own life and find meaning in it. I didn't see it that way at first, but that is one way to reach the other side.
I am guilty of lashing out at others in my pain and in my grief, whether provoked or unprovoked. I am guilty of thinking childish thoughts and doing childish deeds and not being the spiritual Being I know myself to be. Much like a wounded animal, I often lashed out without thinking of anyone else, so blinded was I by my own grief. Through all my sadness a profound sense of acceptance began slowly to emerge, and with it a resolve to try to be a better person. I know that I can never make it up to people, the things I've said or done that may have caused them pain. I know my own grief was no excuse to act as I have, too. And I also know that I am still grieving, still in the process of finding solace.
But I just wanted to say... if you are one of the people who has been hurt by me in any way... or if you know someone whom I may have hurt and would please pass this message on to them... I know this doesn't in any way make up for what suffering I may have caused... but please know...
I am sorry.
current mood:  sad
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| Friday, February 25th, 2005
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4:12 am - Steal this and put it somewhere... if you like.
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| Tuesday, February 15th, 2005
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1:56 am - Heh.
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You are The Morrigan. She is a goddess of war,
death, prophecy and passionate love. Together
with Badb and Macha she built a triad of three
warlike goddesses.
Find Your Inner Bitch Goddess
brought to you by Quizilla
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| Friday, February 4th, 2005
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5:13 pm - Remember Me?
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| Friday, January 28th, 2005
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6:13 pm - what reminds Tass of me...
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1. Song: "Coolavin". Ha. GeeIwonderhowthathappened. ;)
2. Celebrity/public/fictional person: You're kind of your own, but for some reason, Dorothy Parker. I think it might be the "evil queen" weblog graphic (even tho that's more, I dunno, something out of a "Sam Spade" kind of story) plus the atmosphere of arch wit, or something...
3. Word: probably just "Other", but it has to be capitalized the way you seem to always use it.
4. Colours: Green, gold, red bronze.
---
I can relate to Dorothy Parker very well. She began her career as a poet with a song of lamentation (sounds familiar, eh?), and ended it with what she called a war song. Some say she was "full of a pain of loss splendidly borne."
If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.
- Dorothy Parker
Oscar Wilde
If, with the literate, I am
Impelled to try an epigram,
I never seek to take the credit;
We all assume that Oscar said it.
- Dorothy Parker
Interestingly, she died on my 9th birthday: June 7, 1967.
current mood:  amused
current music: Ochi Brothers - Flowing Synergy
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1:39 am - Quotes
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"Do not fear your enemies. The worst they can do is kill you. Do not fear friends. At worst, they may betray you. Fear those who do not care; they neither kill nor betray, but betrayal and murder exist because of their silent consent." ~ Bruno Jasienski
current music: Robert Vano - Lucky Number
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sevenstar's journal
