Thorne's World

Moved to wordpress ByeBye Blogger

2009-01-18T01:15:00.000-08:00

Okay Blogger, Thorni's outta here. Please good friends, casual acquaintances and wandering strays come see me in my new wordpress home. Nearly all the same sidebar rhetoric, but I've redecorated a bit.

Thornesworld at wordpress

Only the Good Friday # 8

2009-01-16T09:22:00.000-08:00

So, what's going on for OtGF in Thornesworld?
Thorni is in love.
That's right.
With Wordpress.
Getting ready to move over there and it is simply AWESOME!!!
It is so incredibly customizable and so much more organized. The folks in the forums there actually help when you have questions (unlike the so-called help system here at blogger)

WORDPRESS IS GOOD!!!

The migraine that hit me last night like an axe in the head is backing off... that's GOOD!

My awesome, generous daughter is happy in her job and is helping to pay our family cell phone bill! That's GOOD!

It's a simply gorgeous Spring day. The front door is open and sunshine and fresh air are streaming in... That's GOOD!

The painting of Grama's room should be finished today so I can begin laying the ceramic floor tile (and hopefully knock it out with the GirlyBoi's help this weekend), so that's GOOD!

Now just to round things out a bit, let me step out of my small life and get into a bit of world good. For now I'm going to hit you with a couple of GOOD IDEAS.

Check this out, courtesy of Adam over at Twilight Earth

Imagine the Good that could come from planting a Victory Garden on the White House lawn!
Adam says "

"Eleanor Roosevelt did it, setting the example for millions of Americans."

Yay, Eleanor! Eleanor Rocked!!! You can read all about the WhoFarm and The WhoFarm petition here, and go ahead... sign it! Wouldn't that be a GOOD thing to do today??

Peace, Out!!!

*Edit for Late breaking GOOD!!

Got an email for the first in a series of interviews for the job I most would like to have. Yay, Thorni!!

So Shelly's idea for this positive posting meme is:

We are living in some pretty negative times, aren’t we? You can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the television without hearing more bad news about the economy, the war, the stock market, the political candidates. I think that many of us are living in a state of fear (though I’m in the state of Texas).

Fear feeds upon itself. It’s like a contagious virus. I’m tired of adding to it. I want to start another kind of “virus.”
You see, I think that optimism can be contagious, too. If we consciously try to look at the good in the world around us, it will become easier to see.

Won't you join us?? Help spread the good love for Only The Good Friday!

Fucking Blogger

2009-01-15T14:19:00.000-08:00

Would it be so difficult to have a simple "revert to original unedited template" feature? I have messed with my template and comments and shit too many times, I think. I have a couple of different comment scripts peppered throughout the html of my template and have no idea how to find and remove them all. LOL I can't make it work right and have no real understanding of code.
Fuuuuccck! Hahaha. I can't fix it.
I'm going to end up moving to wordpress just so I can start over.
I've sent out a couple of help emails, but it's hard to imagine that people will jump to help me remove their code. Hee hee!
It's been a long time coming, anyway. Wordpress is pretty cool. I'll let ya'll (3 or so) know when I do.

Is It Still There?

2009-01-15T12:34:00.001-08:00

Is it still up there? On my forehead? The 2 inch block lettering that spells out

STUPID!

Hahahahaaaaa....
Seems I am a babe in the woods when it comes to using the internet to job search. Let me just say that craigslist pretty much sux. I am not really sure how many hours I spent last night updating my resume, writing cover letters, fine tuning and editing a couple of articles and practically rewriting one in its entirety to include with my "applications" to the positions I found.
Now, really. I'm not stupid, and I've been around the internet long enough to avoid all the "home worker: pay-us-to-put-you-to-work" websites and the whole concept of it's it's "free", it's probably a scam is not lost on me.
But what a huge waste of time.
Really. Does this ad sound like a scam to you?

Copy Editor
Responsibilities include story development, conceptual editing of both text and art, line editing, headline and caption writing, and production oversight. Job requires solid journalism experience, passion for history, refined storytelling sensibility, and proven ability to work with writers. Competitive pay, excellent benefits.

I answered a number of ads for writer, editors and even one for bloggers. I got a shitload of emails back this morning. The subject line had been changed, so I don't know which ad generated which junk, but they were crapo like this:

Thank you for your interest in this position.

Here is a little about the company and the position. We are a growing company that was started by two friends who were not satisfied with the life their 9-5 jobs were giving them. This is a legitimate offer for self-motivated people wanting to earn some extra income.

You have the flexibility to work WHEN you want and HOW MUCH you want and therefore dictate how much revenue you earn. You can even work just evenings and weekends. This is a great way to earn income for stay at home moms, dads, college students, to pay off credit card debt, or just supplement your existing income.

Position Description: Your responsibilities will involve pr ocessing responses from online ads (this process is fully covered in the step-by-step training.) You may choose to work part-time or full-time, and earn One Thousand To Three Thousand Dollars per week. You DO NOT have to contact anyone by phone. All you need is a computer with a valid e-mail address and basic typing skills. Each ad takes approx. 15-20 minutes to process - you will have a virtually unlimited amount of ads so you may work as much as you want and at the time you choose. There is no contract to sign and the amount of work you choose to do is up to you. This opportunity has unlimited possibilities - a perfect option for stay at home moms or dads, college students or anyone who wants their work to revolve around their life, and not the other way around.

Compensation:
You will be paid Twenty Five to Thirty Five Dollars for each ad that you process, depending on the ad you choose.Payments will be made directly to you. The typical rep will make Sixty To Eighty Dollars with at least 2-3 hours of work.

Method of Payment:
You will receive payment for each ad you process. You are paid for each ad you process as soon as you process it - you can choose to receive payment after each ad through check, or have the payments auto deposited bi-weekly. The amount of money you make depends on how much time you choose to put into it.

Training:
The training materials you will receive give you step-by-step instructions on how to get started. You may begin working the same day you receive your materials because everything is done online. You could get paid within an hour or two of receiving the training manual. There is no special software requirement; everything is done via the web.

We look forward to getting you started. Inquire further!

I won't copy the link; fuck these people. It's a website that wants to sign you up at $10 a month so they can send you lists of places to submit your writing to... to take surveys and so on.
Grrr...
Now I wonder how many new junkmail lists my email addy is on. It's my main, personal email addy too. Fuck. What a pain.
Disheartening, too.
I mean, it's not like I'm all gung ho to get a job or do this whole freakin' job search crap in the first place and then to spend, I dunno; maybe 4 hours wasted?
They say the economic disaster that we're in will be good for small business as large businesses fail. All I know is that the last tattoo show I did lost me about a grand, and my phone has not been ringing. It's hard for even the most hardcore ink collector to justify a tattoo when her electric is due for disconnect or his home is in foreclosure.
I suppose it's back to selling my antiques.
The Victrola.
The Duncan Phife China Cabinet.
The Singer foot treadle sewing machine.
Probably even the Grandfather Clock, although it's not really an antique; it's only about 35 years old I think.
What the fuck- this house is too small for all that stuff anyway! LOL. Less to dust and polish!

So much for being in bed by 2...

2009-01-14T23:34:00.000-08:00

Bwahahahaha....
And I didn't even make another pot of coffee. Dayum! What's up with that? I love the night. I am, (it's true) a creature of the night. I really need to get my sleeping habits turned around a lil, though. Spring is on its way and that is the time of year that I love mornings!
It has been a productive evening.
I sent 7 letters of inquiry along with my resume and stuffs out.
*sigh
It's true. You know times are hard when Thorni is looking for a JOB!
I know. It makes me want to cry.
Just kidding.
Kinda.
I can work if I absolutely must! I mean, like work for someone else. I work all the time. For myself. I just... er... don't really work and play well with others.
Well, that's not entirely true. I can usually (well, at least I could about 12 years ago which was the last time I worked for someone else) manage about a year. Well, maybe not a whole year. I think 8 months is my record.
It isn't that I don't deal well with authority, it's just that- well... I'm so much smarter than anyone I've ever worked for! Bwahahaha! Oh, fuck. I'm not really kidding. Only a lil. maybe. Give me 6 months and I'll tell you exactly how you should be running things. LMFAO
It's just that I get so bored. I mean, once I've learned the job I want to learn something else. Like my supervisor's job. Hee hee. Which doesn't usually go over too well.
It's okay though. Seriously. I only applied for 1 job that's not a telecommuting position. If the money is right it could be fun. It's for a blueprint place. They want a general art/design/layout and copywriter.
Then a bunch of freelance writing bids.
I know. You'd never guess it from the style of my blog, but I really can write well. Haha. And professionally if I must. Human interest, promotional, reviews. Journalistic, folksy, pretentious. LOL Whatever it takes.
I needs money. The hell with the mortgage, it's time to buy seeds for the garden! And I buy the good kind. Heirloom varieties that haven't been genetically modified.
You know, you can't buy seeds from any of the mainstream suppliers anymore. Jackson & Perkins, Burpee. They're all the same company owned by some plastic manufacturer like Dow or something. I could look it up and tell you the whole deal, but I'm a lil worn out after all those job apps.
Poison seeds, my friends. Insect genes spliced into your food. "Round-Up ready" vegetables. You know what that means? It means they've genetically altered the plant to be immune to the exfolient that they want you to spray on your so- called "weeds". Round Up. Can you say "Agent Orange"?? That is an exfoliant, too.
LOL. You can all thank Adam over at Twilight Earth for my little seed tangent. Check out what they wanna do now. So sick.
I'm so allergic to corn already. It sucks too, because I love it. Imagine... read his post. Then imagine all the corn contaminated. The corn they feed chickens and beef and of course people. Your chips and salsa! OMG! Hehe. It's so not funny.
Speaking of funny, I was looking through my old posts for something suitable to edit and use a a writing sample and damn, I was funny!
I won't pause to wonder what happened to me; we all know.
I sure do swear a lot, too.
I wan't to be funny and charming and stimulating again.
Hmmm...
Okay. Enough. (I'm getting maudlin- it must be bedtime)
Peace, out!

Tuesday Teasers #1

2009-01-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

So here's the deal:
MizB at Should Be Reading would have us:

Teaser Tuesdays

Grab your current read

Let the book fall open to a random page

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

There is only one VERY IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER:
*** Do NOT post anything that could spoil the plot of the book!!! ***

If your sentences that fall between lines 7 and 12 on the page you turn to give too much away, choose a different page, or a different spot on the page… we don’t want to ruin any surprises for anyone!

Mine for this week is:

"Even with all that iridescent magic up there, your eye will no longer linger on the light, it will no longer trace the constellations. You'll care only about the darkness and you'll watch it for hours, for days, maybe even for years, trying in vain to believe you're some kind of indispensable."

This is from House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. It's an... interesting read. The reviews for it are generally good, although reader reviews range widely. If it can be genraed it must fall somewhere between Lit Fic and Horror. Or perhaps it's Lit Fic with Horror as a sub genre. Or perhaps it's simply art.
I'm finding it a somewhat laborious read, best undertaken in small sips, which is not how I generally read a book I'm enjoying, (and may be partially due to the fact that I need new reading glasses) I'm a devourer of books. I think it may be why I so often keep books I really love to reread later at leisure and more fully savour the flavors.
Nonetheless this book comes highly recommended by my e. who has yet to steer me wrong, and I am enjoying it. It's an interesting concept, and I might almost read it for that alone, but the story is... intriguing.
There is something else cool about this book. The author's sister, Poe, put out a musical and lyrical companion to it in the form of a great Album length CD which is entitled "Haunted". I like the music a lot.

If you love books and reading half as much as I do, why not join me on Shelfari?

Who said this would be easy? (Thornesworld Update)

2009-01-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

This thing- "life". So the GirlyBoi's work has been steadily slowing and declining as it goes. The guy she has worked for for the last couple years is pretty much a doll- we really like him and in many ways he's been good to Tam. Well, as good as a businessman who is always looking out for his own best interest can be, I suppose.
He has (mostly) kept her working. There is that.
The first time he was running low on funds he offered her a pretty sweet deal: Keep working for partial pay (based on her usual hourly rate) and he'd "save" the balance and pay it in a lump sum when his next property sold. That deal worked out well. It allowed us to buy the truck.
Some time after that he was running out of money again and the deal wasn't quite so sweet. A $3 per hour pay cut. We rolled with that change. Being so close to home during the really high gas prices along with the fact that she REALLY loves that job made it palatable if not really yummy.
A couple of months ago she took another $2 hourly cut along with a pretty significant cut in hours.
Okay. Now it's really starting to suck big time. And I'm starting to feel like Mr. "Nice Guy" is really not so nice. In fact, he's pretty much a self serving asshole who is using my GirlyBoi up.
And he really showed his true colors when she told him she wasn't making enough to cover our bills and needed to go get day-labor. He got all huffy and "After-all-I've-done-for-you" on her.
So all that pretty much sux, but here is the really fucked up part:
She went to stay with B. on Sunday night so she could be at the day labor place at 5 am Monday morning. (He lives right around the corner from it- we are almost 30 miles away). Monday was wasted filling out paperwork, so she wasn't terribly surprised nor disheartened when there was no work for her by the time she was done. This morning she arrived at 4:45am. And stood around with about 30 guys. Until 10am. 4 of them got work.
So she called J. and went back to work there.
Can you say:

He has her over a barrel now?

Seems like. I hate it. Thank Gods that she is a more sorta easy going person than am I. That she doesn't have the temper that I do. Thank Gods that my precious GirlyBoi is willing to do what it takes for us.
I got turned down for the Social Security Disability that I had applied for. It was rough applying for it in the first place. I really hated the idea of making "disabled" my statement to the Universe. Of sending out that kind of power on a word. Not to mention that I don't think of myself that way, despite the fact that I can't do a lot of things I used to be able to do. I suppose I might describe my physical abilities these days as "somewhat limited". Hahahahaha...
So we all know that getting a denial is par for the course, so I suppose I will look for an attorney and appeal.
But I also applied for a home job this morning.
I'm thinking we'll let the Universe decide whether or not I'm "disabled".
It's a job that I've done before and quit for ethical reasons. I have heard good things about this company, so I'm hoping it will be a better deal.
Thorne, back on the tele-psychic circuit. I can't imagine I won't get the position. I suppose I'd better get the job before I start worrying about how sad it's going to be to do it in these hard economic times. All the poor people calling for their lucky lottery numbers, running their phone bill up when their electricity is about to be shut off...
*sigh
There is always the possibility of doing good too. I've helped folks find lost pets and resolve issues with their dead as well as general sort of "counseling". It's always good to be able to direct people to programs (like 12 step) and give folks hope (when there is hope to offer).
Despite everything my heart and spirit and body are all feeling good.
Which rocks. Hahaha!
I rock!
Got a local kid working a bit for me in exchange for ink, so Grama's bedroom is getting painted then I'll tile the floor. Thank Gods that I bought all these materials when I had a lil $$! Then I'll have a temporary Tattoo Studio (Until we have the $$ to finish the real Studio) and Art Room, not to mention a lot more room in my storage spaces and around the house.
I'm still wandering lost but gleefully in a polymer fog and will post pics as soon as I get my camera batteries charged up.
Thanks Bumbles and Mo for stopping in. Toni, too, although I have no link for you!

2009 in Thornesworld

2009-01-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

Is it just me? 2009 feels like... hope. The last few years have seemed to sort of blur through their changes. Between the horrors going on in the world, our illegal and immoral President and my own personal life tragedies, the coming of 2008 was lost on me. It was like, "Okay a New Year. So what? More grief? More loss? More horror?"
But 2009.
This year feels different. It's not just Obama (although that's part of it on a worldly or physical level), It's not just the recession (yes... I'm actually thinking this is good news for the common "man"); It's... astrological, perhaps? Universal, magickal? An energy shift?
Hope.
Magick.
Creativity.
Potential.
2009 feels like that to me.
2009=11= one helluva magickal number.
I'm housecleaning and project planning and on fire to get out in the garden.
My fibromyalgia is more than manageable. It's taking a vacation. Weeee!
My soul-sister/daughter/lover/friend, e., is excited with me about our plans for my 40 acres of scrub and sand here in the beautiful High Desert. We are doing research (so blessed that she works for a book store). We are looking into Not For Profit status. This is the year it begins. I feel it in my soul.

40 acres of Spiritual Retreat.
We shall build labyrinths for seekers of all sorts to walk.
A sweat lodge for prayer and purification.
The various outbuildings shall be transformed into art studios.

So mote it be.

Before & After or: Never Bake Your Polymer

2008-12-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

Before Baking

Okay, this seriously sux. My Girlyboi helped me mickey-mouse some support for my Grandma so I could lay her in the convection oven. I read like mad about baking your polymer clay and after all the reading I concluded that it was pretty much a crap shoot.
Everyone seems to have had problems with their clay "darkening", or even burning. There are different temps to bake your polymer at, depending on brand and type. There are also altitude specific directions, but even though we are around 3500 feet I don't use them to bake a cake, so I figured I didn't wanna crank up the heat on my clay. Much of the polymer I used was unlabled, so I had to try a median guess. And NEVER, I repeat NEVER use poly-fil batting to rest your
clay on. I don't care what those polymer people say; the shit melts.
It seems that either something completely wonky happened with one of the white clays I used, or someone slipped some modeling clay in with the polymer.

After Baking (Go back! It's a trap!!)

So not only did Grandma's hand and breast burn, but she now has one exceedingly hairy arm,
courtesy of the polyfil,

and the "fleece" lining I had in her boots melted and ran everywhere.She also must have been spending too much time at the track lately.
I think her loan shark sent some enforcers into the oven after her. They broke both of her legs.

Imma go sit in the corner now and eat a worm.

These Boots Are Made for Walkin'

2008-12-20T18:31:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days? The kind of day when nothing really big goes wrong. No major catastrophes. Maybe even a few good things happen. But the couple of things you really want to happen- just don't? I mean, you can't make them happen no matter how much you try to force the issue? No matter how many angles you come at it from, how many prayers- how much cursing-bargaining-begging? The kind of day when the only version of "The Serenity Prayer*" you can muster is the short** version?
Today has been that kind of day. I stayed up all night working on my little Grandma. That was okay. I'm a night owl and I do that every now and then, especially when I'm dancing with one of my various and eclectic muses. I took a nap this morning at about 9:30. I slept 'til one. Up until then the day was going great.
It was then I went looking for my paints and brushes. Now, I don't need the paint right this minute (we'll get to that), but I needed the brushes. Grandma's face needs a bit of work that only a couple of my fine sable brushes dipped in alcohol will do.
My paint box appears to be MIA, (Missing in Action). Okay, I can live with that. I'm an artist after all. I have paint brushes coming out of my ears. Hell, didn't I use one to put up my hair just the other day?
No.
It must have been a crochet hook.
I can't find a paintbrush in this freaking house to save my soul.
And where, you may ask, are my paintbrushes?
Probably in the fucking cellar with my paints!! The fucking cellar, the door of which is covered by a 2 fucking foot deep drift of snow!
Okay. (I take a moment to breathe). No biggie. We can work around this- right? Right! So I'll just go ahead and bake her, and then finish up her face when I do the rest of the clean up, finishing and polishing with my handy dandy little dremmel tool.
Yay! Good deal. Found the dremmel (I was SO afraid it was in the cellar!)
Proceed to the kitchen for baking. Towels for the space under the door so my birdies don't get fumes? Check. Houston, we have ignition.
Errr- or not.
Grandma, with her staff in hand is too tall for my convection oven.
Okay. I have a real oven. I do! Of course, since it is an antique it has no thermostat. And I never use it because it's just too big a pain in the ass to regulate the temperature by hand, keeping n eye on the little thermometer that hangs from the center rack. But what the hell, I can deal with it for the 15 to 30 minutes Grandma needs to be in the oven, right?
The hanging rack thermometer is missing.
(Check this out, okay? I am a fucking trooper, here!)
Meat Thermometer!!! Woot! That ought to work! (Damn! Yay me!)
Well... It probably would have.
How the fuck does an oven that you never use break? Quit? Stop working?
I have no idea, but mine seems to have. Go figure.

I'm going to hand sew her cast off cloak now, and hope she at least partially cures sitting in front of the fireplace. Just enough so that I can lay her down in the convection oven.

So here's my girl. She has nipples and boots and snow and crocus.

* The Serenity Prayer

God(dess), grant me the serenity to:
accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

** The Short Version

Fuck it!

Sun's Return Sculpture (continued)

2008-12-20T00:57:00.000-08:00

... or Return of the Light? Or "Grandmother Rejoices? Still working on title as well as sculpture. It's amazing to me how difficult this is; to sculpt at this scale. It is so very different from the larger scale work I am accustomed to doing. Well, I mean, as far as sculpture. I guess my tattoos are often about this size, but that's a-whole-nother ball 'o wax. Drawing is 2D that I of course try to make look 3D. Doing this tiny sculpting is similar to drawing or tattooing at this scale in that I have to decide what details to put in and which to leave out- which would just muddy up the overall effect. I'm finding it much more difficult to do than while drawing. I think it's simply due to a lack of experience in the medium. So skip this if you're not into it. I'm just rambling a bit about the process.

I've taken a number of pics from slightly different angles and of course views. I'm finding that I really need to just walk away, periodically. 2 diametrically opposite things keep happening. It's kind of odd.
1.) I become so engrossed in working a particular feature that I'm absolutely LOVING (like the hand, for instance) that until I leave it and come back I can't seem to see that it's gotten either too big or too small for the piece.
2.) I feel like I'm struggling terribly, and I'm absolutely HATING a particular area, feeling that it's too large, too small or just awkward until I leave it and come back to see that it's actually good/proportionate or whatever.

I think her legs are still a bit too short, but I've decided it's okay for her to be a lil stubby.

I'm feeling much better about her breasts. They were waaay too stiff and a bit too perky for a woman her age. I'm really pleased with the curve aof the flesh leading into her armpit. And the saggy flesh in the triceps area.

Looking at the pics is kind of like walking away, too. I see things I don't seem to see when I'm working on it. Some are really strikingly good areas, others show the need for more work.

Like here. As much as I like her round belly, it's too smooth. I don't want it to look taught like pregnancy. More loose and fleshy.

I think I have acheived the fleshy look on her thighs. That's what needs to happen on her belly and waist.

The face is really difficult. I think it's the hardest part. It still needs a lot of work. It requires frequesnt rests. The polymer gets pretty soft when I'm working it and then the features get mushy too fast. Same problem with the hands

Her nose is too crooked.

As difficult as the hands have been, I'm really enjoying them.
I think I'm insane.
Muahahahahaaaaaa......

Only the Good Friday #8 aka: The Bumbles RAWK!!!

2008-12-19T22:40:00.000-08:00

Okay. So I know I am pretty self centered in my OtGF posting, but I can't help it. Seriously. If I go out into the blogosphere to look for some world good, I'll get so wacked by all the so-called "news" that it will be inpossible for me to stay focused on "Only the Good".
But the thing is... Everything is good in Thorne's World. Seriously. Despite everything. Despite being beyond broke, despite my daughter living away, despite-despite-despite.
I have been smiling all day.
Creative, creating, enjoying my family, my home, my critters, the fireplace. Life.
This is good!
I hit a few friends blogs, which is good, and I even peek at the feeds of my political blogging friends and stop in if they're not on a rant (sorry; it's contagious to me and right now I can't afford to get "sick" with it). I'm reading creative and magickal and upcycling blogs, and have joined a couple of new groups, namely OOK Art Dolls, and Fiber Arts/Mixed Media. There's not much on my pages yet, but there will be, soon.
So anyway. All that is well and good, but here's some rockin' good for you!
Oh. My. Goddess. So I've wandered in and out of the Bumbles place a few times. They always have great music posts and a lot of humor, but today they blew me away. Seriously.
Now I know I'm just a lil ol' Cali gal. What do I know about winter? (I hear the rest of you asking.) Well, I showed you my once in four years snow pics. And then last night our freakin' pipes froze. (YES we wrapped them again. Even if you have forgotten, we have not forgotten the Frozen Pipe Fiasco of '07, also affectionately known as "It's Fucking Freezing!") Sooo... it's gettin' a lil fragrant around Thorne's World, and will probably get worse before it gets better.
So although snow is good, frozen pipes are... well, let's just say a bit on the not-quite-good side.

Then I stopped by the Bumbles tonight and saw their pics and read their fun post about building their own ice skating rink and I fell in love with winter all over again. A neighborhood ice skating rink. How cool is that?
I used to love to ice skate as a kid. I'm sure the ice is a lot harder these days, and probably colder, too than it was in my youth, but I swear I would tie on skates and give it a go if we had one here. Go see the Bumbles' Rink. It's so cool. And so good!

So Shelly's idea for this positive posting meme is:

We are living in some pretty negative times, aren’t we? You can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the television without hearing more bad news about the economy, the war, the stock market, the political candidates. I think that many of us are living in a state of fear (though I’m in the state of Texas).

Fear feeds upon itself. It’s like a contagious virus. I’m tired of adding to it. I want to start another kind of “virus.”
You see, I think that optimism can be contagious, too. If we consciously try to look at the good in the world around us, it will become easier to see.

Won't you join us?? Help spread the good love for Only The Good Friday!

Polymer Clay Holiday

2008-12-18T18:17:00.000-08:00

Ok. So I've had this stuff forever. I played with it a bit a few years ago, but being used to wheel thrown pots and large handbuilt clay sculptures, it didn't really float my boat. But I got it out (right before we got snowed in... phycho? Err... psychic??) and then inspiration struck. This is my first try at sculpting in this medium, let alone something so small. She's only about 6" tall. I'm loving her. She's celebrating the return of the Light (*Winter Solstice being the longest night of the year, many pagans celebrate it as The Return of The Light, since the days start getting longer again.)
I'm using my waste clay on an armature of copper wire and aluminum foil. I need to bake her once (outside... baaad fumes for birdies and other living beings), and then I'll add a flesh colored clay and stuffs. Oh, yeah. She needs a needs a head and hands, too!!!
Too much fun!

e

Thursday Thirteen # 22 Make that a "White" Holiday!

2008-12-18T17:40:00.001-08:00

Thirteen Things about Thorne's World

13 Images of Snowfall @ Pair-O-Dykes Ranch!

Okay, this is nuts!! We haven't had snow like this since... well, we had a good smow in '04. Before that it was at least 20 years ago that we got snow like this. Nothing is going in in the High Desert of California! The mail contractors obviously do NOT operate under the same credo as the US mail... we haven't had a delivery for 3 days. I don't know how you mountain folk do it! Over a foot of snow on a dirt road pretty much sucks. Nobody is driving out here. Anyway, it might actually be enough to stick. A white Solstice and a white Yule. Woo Hoo! Enjoy the pics!

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11.)12.)

13.)

Happy TT and Happy Holidays to all!!

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Snow Day in the Desert!!

2008-12-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

I love snow... when I see it coating the mountains, or from inside next to a cozy fire, sipping hot coffee and looking out at it.
I love snow in our desert because it comes rarely and beautifully and leaves before I tire of it.
The Girlyboi came home from work early since she couldn't work at her job in it, only to have to work at home a bit, cutting wood for the fireplace to keep us (me and the birds) snuggly and cozy.
Gotta love that Girlyboi!!
This view below looks out across the back 40. That's Junior (pronounced Hoon-your)
This is the front walk with my quonset hut arches
More front yard.

Friday Fillin #3

2008-12-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

1. Friends blow my skirt up.

2. My health; it's improving every day! Yippee!

3. I'm ready for a pajama day.

4. Estee Lauder "Beautiful" is ~~one of~~ my favorite perfume.

5. The oldest ornament I have is one of my Grama's from long before I was born. Glass shaped like a tiny basket.

6. Take some junk, mix it all together and you have art.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to playing WoW, tomorrow my plans include decorating my dead altar for Yule and Sunday, I want to leave open for anything!

Only The Good Friday #7 Good memories

2008-12-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

30 years ago today at about this time I was checking into Mountain View Community Hospital. I was 17, and very, very pregnant. The first due date I was given was November 17th; five days short of a month later I was wondering if my daughter would ever choose to be born, or if she had decided to take up permanent residence in my womb. After 10 months of pregnancy it didn't seem impossible.
My water had broken at about six AM and no amount of wishing had manifested a single contraction, despite the on and off Braxton Hicks I'd been having for weeks.
I was prepared. I had my little LaMaze bag in my lap as I sat in a wheelchair filling out paperwork. My tennis balls and can for those low back massages, both sweet and sour lollipops for the dry mouth, baby-powder and lotion for belly rubbing.
I'd be sorry later that I had spent the morning applying coat after careful coat of "Million Dollar Red" lacquer to my long fingernails, but since I didn't know that then, I admit I was admiring the color and shine as my pen hand moved over the forms.
Checked into a lovely Labor Room with my husband we arranged the room to our comfort, the pleasant rose walls and bright sunlight streaming in through the louvered blinds in sparkling bars of light.
My labor was induced with a tiny pill under my upper lip and finally the contractions began. Woo Hoo! Time to use all that well practiced breathing. 7 hours of intense labor later (It came on really fast back then when they induced) I whispered to the nurse as I caught my breath between contractions, "Maybe just a little shot? A short break?" At only 5 centimeters dilation and no end in sight I was ready for a little breather. So much for "Natural" childbirth!
Although I didn't know it, I didn't have much longer to wait. My girl was wedged between my back and my pelvic bones, which wouldn't open for the life of me.
At 9 PM it was decided that I should have an "emergency C- sec" and I believe my words to the Dr. when he told me were something like, "Fine. Just put me out before the next contraction, damnit!"
Now seriously, 5 minutes before the Doctor made his decision, insane breathing and contractions all aside, it was pretty peaceful. Next thing I knew they were shaving everything they had missed the first time around, and I was flying down the hallway on a gurney surrounded by nurses and other green and pink clothed people wondering what the rush was. Someone noticed my nails and freaked. "Get some acetone!" And then someone was spearing my beautiful Million Dollar Red across my hands, their hands, the sheets and everywhere.
In just a few minutes it seemed, I awoke seemingly alone in the green tiled operating room. Seriously. Not even into recovery yet and croaked "Where's my baby?" Someone answered, "She's with the pediatrician and her Daddy. She's perfect".
As I drifted back off I remember thinking "Of course she's perfect".
And she was.
And she is.
She is the love of my life and the single best thing I have ever made or done is her.
Happy Birthday, my angel; My Fawn. I love you.

So here's the concept for Only The Good Friday. Shelly at This Eclectic Life says:

We are living in some pretty negative times, aren’t we? You can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the television without hearing more bad news about the economy, the war, the stock market, the political candidates. I think that many of us are living in a state of fear (though I’m in the state of Texas).

Fear feeds upon itself. It’s like a contagious virus. I’m tired of adding to it. I want to start another kind of “virus.”
You see, I think that optimism can be contagious, too. If we consciously try to look at the good in the world around us, it will become easier to see.

Thorne's words on Only the Good:

I really like this idea. Any of you regulars who have peeked in on Thorne's World once in awhile over the last year know that between my political activism and blogging, and some pretty heavy personal life stuff, I kinda crashed. Well; no "kinda" about it. The world and life pretty much kicked my ass into a sever depression that I have been trying to pull out of for the last several months. It's rough for me once I hit the blog, because I seem to have gotten caught up in everything that's wrong, and when I check in online I still see so much that outrages or upsets me that I have a bit of a hard time keeping to my resolve to try to stay a little calm and happy and out of the outrage and anger and sadness. Shelly's meme is so GOOD for me!! No matter what's going on, on Fridays at least I can say to myself "Turn it around, woman! What can you say-think-write-feel-do today that is good?! Positive! Hopeful!!"
Won't you join us?? Help spread the good love for Only The Good Friday!

Thursday Thirteen # 21 Have A GREEN Holiday!!!

2008-12-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about Thorne's World

13 Ways to Have a GREEN Holiday!

So in all my activist allegories, political pontifications and environmental urgings (okay, I know "urgings doesn't start with an "e" but it works, eh?? WTF!? LOL) I haven't actually shared a whole lot of my own real life with you all, have I? I mean, you all know I'm a queer witch artist who does tattoos. Many of you know I live on 40 acres of scrub in the Mojave Desert, that I read, write and garden. But do you really know what an eco freak I am? That I am as green as that witch from The Wizard of Oz (See, Shelly?? I told you they are MY flying monkeys! *wink). It's true. I am a bonafied tree hugger. As a result I'm also a pack rat extrordinaire. I save EVERYTHING! Now, I know. I have 40 acres. What can you city folk do? Well, inspired by Adam at Twilight Earth and by Shelly at This Eclectic Life's post Rethinking Recycling I finally decided to get off my sleepy holiday crafting ass and do a TT on this topic. I'm gonna mix it up a bit. I'll tell you a bit of what I do and a bit of easy what "you" can do. If some of what I do seems a bit over the top, or overwhelming for you, give a sec to thinking of how you may be able to modify your consumption just a tiny bit. And don't worry, I won't tell you not to shop. Proimise.

1) Make gift tags from last year's Holiday cards or use scraps of old wrapping paper.

2) Wrap your gifts in fabric! Old lovely dresses, T-shirts that may be too worn to wear but still have great silk screened designs or embroidery on them, elegant linen tablecloths that don't get enough use, lace or heirloom crocheted doilies. Buy the fabric for that quilt or skirt you want to make and use it to fold and wrap first!! Wrap a bathroom gift set in a bath towel! Kitchen utensils or appliances in tea towels! If you want to get really fancy, here's a link I snagged from the comments at Shelly's place on Japanese Gift Wrapping How To

3) Re-Gift! Yep, you heard me right! Let me say it again: RE-GIFT! I'm not talking about passing on the ugly vase you got from Aunt Zelda to someone else who will think it as awful as you do... I'm talking considerate and sincere re-gifting. Even if I absolutely HATE the collection of miniature porcelain teacup and saucers that someone gave me some years ago, I do have a friend who would abso-fucking-lutely LOVE it! True! Why in the world should that (awful) lovely set (be hidden) sit in the upper reaches of my closet in perfect condition, gathering dust, when I know someone who would be thrilled to have it?

4) Make artful gifts out of junk mail. Check these out: Schimmel Junk Mail Mosaics, Altered Books

5) Make Quilts, Lap Throws Snuggles and even Clothing from previously worn items. If you don't sew, shop! There are people making and selling these items! Try to support people instead of corporations (especially people using post consumer waste to make cool stuff!) Here's an article about one of them: Dolly Rocker

6) Okay. I do some of those things myself. I also make Bowling Ball (The big one is an old cardboard globe coated in plaster of paris before tiling) yard art from broken tile and pottery and china. (I also tiled my kitchen counters this way, but that's a story for another day)

7) Go check out Freecycle.org and join up with your local group. This is a great thing year round, but this time of year it could be so extra special both to the giver and receiver. Now, I know you are all busy this time of year, but if you're anything like me, you also came across at least 3 or 10 things that are in great shape but you will NEVER use them again, when you were digging out the holiday decorations. Go to freecycle. Offer those items for FREE to someone who needs them. Simple. Cool. Green.

8) Pillows for teens, artists and other ne-er-do-wells. Old band T-shirts or other favorites sewn or tied into pillow covers. Click the pic for instructions.

9) Got outdoor plants?? Lil green things getting cold in this winter weather?? There are so many rockin' things to do with plastic bottles. Not just plastic water bottles, but your cooking oil, your laundry detergent and other plastic bottles. They make great plant warmers, for one. A rivet gun and glue make for fun crafting with them, too (Look; it's GREEN!)

10) And as for glass bottles! 10)Oh my! There are so many cool and super easy things to do with glass bottles. Here's an example of some super classy upcycling, but there are so many other great uses for them! Pick up some corks at a local craft shop, sterilize the bottles and then drop in a couple of sprigs of rosemary, some chile peppers, sun dried tomatoes, basil; pick your poison. Cover with vinegar or olive oil, cork it and tie a ribbon around the neck and Voila!!! Herbed olive oil or vinegar and home made by lil ol' you! And let's not forget that tried and true legend of Roadside Attraction fame that is rapidly picking up steam as contemporary yard art; the bottle tree.
Or for all you "Joe 6-packs" out there: Festive, ain't it? Hahaha!

11) Cans. Sheesh! I can go crazy with cans! We don't use a lot of canned goods, actually, so I jealously guard the ones I can get my hands on. They make all kinds of cool artsy and practical stuff. Cover them in fabric, paper, glass or tile mosaic for pencil holders and desk sets, punch them full of holes in cool patterns, add a few twists of wire to hold a tea light candle and hang. Instant fairy lights or cool garden lanterns. If you've seen my desert gardening post, you may remember my favorite use for cans. I cut both ends out and use them as collars to protect young plants. I suppose you could make them pretty if you wanted to, but I just use them as is. I think my garden is pretty when it's looking lush and yummy.

12) Egg Cartons. I desperately covet the cardboard ones. I use them to germinate frigid plants. You know? The ones who wither and die if you disturb their roots the tiniest bit? Their idea of foreplay is screaming "don't touch me! Where's my vitamin B??" So I germinate in the egg holders (I cut them apart and sit them in the lid of the carton first, so the little buggers won't faint if I jiggle them when I plant them) and then plant them cardboard and all when it's time for them to go into the ground. The cardboard mulches away as the roots grow right through it into the garden soil. But here's a link for a whole shitload of kids crafts using them for you city folk. If you can't use them yourself, maybe call your local community center and see if they want them??

13) Okay. Finally. I really need to put my laptop away. The Girlyboi is shivering. I made her take the pic before she got in so I could finish my TT. A Laptop in the bathtub is one thing, but a Laptop, a camera and two lesbians? In a hot tub maybe, but this bathtub is too damned small.

She does look awful cute standing there, though.

"Honey, gimme the camera. Lemme take a pic of you for my blog.
No?"
Ooohhh, she's so cute when she's mad... and naked... and cold.

Ok then. Let's get this show on the road. So yeah. Number THIRTEEN?
Bathe with a friend.

Happy TT and Happy Holidays to all!!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. (leave your link in comments)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Only The Good Friday #6

2008-12-05T12:33:00.000-08:00

It's Only the Good in Thorne's World today.

I'm simply bursting with GOOD today!!!
Nearest and dearest to my heart; my daughter got a job!!! And it looks like a good job!! Now, in this rough economy a job is good enough news, but this is extra good. Any of you who have read here over the last couple of years know that last year she lost her beautiful son, our precious lil Pharoah to SIDS. The worst part of my own grief has been for my sweet daughter who lost her only child. She has had an incredibly hard year of grieving and depression, and has struggled mightily to pull herself from the depths of sorrow.
So this job is more than good; it's hope.
Hope that she will find herself again or even anew through working out in the world again where people can mirror her beauty back to her that she may again see it in herself. Hope that her self esteem and self worth will grow as she remembers who she is somehow around/ in spite of/ in addition to the mother of a dead child, and perhaps learns who she can be and becomes able to integrate her loss into a life that is bigger than only that loss.
Hope. Hope is good.
And on top of that (which is really the best!), it's a good job! Entry level, but room for advancement (and my baby always advances; employers tend to find themselves dependent upon her rather quickly!) Dental, medical and paid holidays after 90 days, and paid management training! Woot!
Go, baby, go. Momma loves you and believes in you!

So here's the concept for Only The Good Friday. Shelly at This Eclectic Life says:

We are living in some pretty negative times, aren’t we? You can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the television without hearing more bad news about the economy, the war, the stock market, the political candidates. I think that many of us are living in a state of fear (though I’m in the state of Texas).

Fear feeds upon itself. It’s like a contagious virus. I’m tired of adding to it. I want to start another kind of “virus.”
You see, I think that optimism can be contagious, too. If we consciously try to look at the good in the world around us, it will become easier to see.

Thorne's words on Only the Good:

I really like this idea. Any of you regulars who have peeked in on Thorne's World once in awhile over the last year know that between my political activism and blogging, and some pretty heavy personal life stuff, I kinda crashed. Well; no "kinda" about it. The world and life pretty much kicked my ass into a sever depression that I have been trying to pull out of for the last several months. It's rough for me once I hit the blog, because I seem to have gotten caught up in everything that's wrong, and when I check in online I still see so much that outrages or upsets me that I have a bit of a hard time keeping to my resolve to try to stay a little calm and happy and out of the outrage and anger and sadness. Shelly's meme is so GOOD for me!! No matter what's going on, on Fridays at least I can say to myself "Turn it around, woman! What can you say-think-write-feel-do today that is good?! Positive! Hopeful!!"
Won't you join us?? Help spread the good love for Only The Good Friday!

It's Almost Official...

2008-11-29T02:14:00.000-08:00

Oh. My. Gods.
Look over there to the right. The sidebar. Does it show yet? My eyes are so blurry I can hardly see to type.
According to Scrivener, my novel writing program (it rocks! you should check it out!), I reached 50,038 words on my 2008 NaNoWriMo novel about a half an hour ago. Holey shit. My muse was on fire today. I wrote over 6K words. Sheesh, I am such a deadline junky.
Tomorrow (later this morning) after a bit of a sleep, I'll write a couple hundred words before exporting to Word to scramble and paste my document in the official NaNo validator.
Holy shit, I'm wiped.
Eda, my love. Thank you. You have been absolutely invaluable to me and this novel. Well, you are always invaluable to me, but what I'm trying to say is that I could never have done this without you, my love.
Big thanks to all my NaNo buddies who swapped encouragement and threats with me when the going got tough.
Yippee!

Man Trampled to Death by Rabid Consumers

2008-11-28T21:46:00.001-08:00

Sickening. One more good reason for the Boycott of Black Friday. I really hope none of you were involved in anything like this. And I hope it makes people think a little.

clipped from online.indianagazette.com

A Wal-Mart worker on Long Island died after being trampled by customers who broke through the doors early Friday. And fights and injuries occurred around the country at some other stores operated by Wal-Mart,

Nassau County Police examine the front of the Wal-Mart in Valley Stream, N.Y., Friday, Nov. 28, 2008, after a temporary Wal-Mart worker died after a throng of eager shoppers broke down the doors and trampled him moments after the Long Island store opened early Friday for day-after-Thanksgiving bargain hunting, police said.

I think it ties into a sort of fear and panic of not having enough,'' said Joe Priester, a professor at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California and a former president of the Society for Consumer Psychology. A herd mentality, he said, can lead individuals to feel anonymous — so much so that they are quite capable of trampling someone. ``Fear combined with the group mentality?'' he said. ``It doesn't surprise me at all

Thursday Thirteen (#20) on Black Friday and Buy Nothing Day

2008-11-27T22:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm disturbed. I really was going to try to do a 13 on all the reasons NOT to shop on the infamous Black Friday. In general, even in these hard economic times, I'm against the whole deal. I mean, they get us one way or another, but is consumerism really what America is all about? Anyway. I have too much novel writing to catch up on to do a very long post, but I'm going to try to jam this out. I want to tell you 12 reasons not to shop tomorrow, (I hope I can come up with that many...) and one place to shop if you simply MUST, and why. Here goes:

Thirteen Things about Black Friday Buy Nothing Day

1) Twenty percent of the world's richest nations are consuming 80 percent of the resources. That's us. Take a day off, please?
2) The lines will be insanely long. There are no such thing as a pair of shoes comfortable enough to handle this. Your feet will hurt.
3) It will be a zoo. Lot's of rude people that will stress you out.
4) To rephrase: The average North American consumes five times more than a Mexican person, 10 times more than a Chinese person and 30 times more than a person from India.
5) Stretch your creative muscles instead of your calf muscles. Do something personal and creative to show your loved ones you care this Yule. Make them a gift, write them a song or poem. Show your love without buying!!
6) Eat leftovers and lounge in front of the TV. Lot's of games on for you sports fans.
7) Catch up on all the comments you've been meaning to leave.
8) Go check out AdBuster Campaign. Food for thought.
9) Watch this video over and over until you can laugh about it through your tears:

10)Pull out all the "stuff" people gave you last year that they bought just because it was on sale, even though they should have known that you would hate it and figure out who you're going to regift what to.
11)If you go, you'll feel so guilty for using your blind grandmother's handicapped placard to park when you don't really need it.
12) If you don't steal or borrow a handicapped placard, you'll never find parking.
13)If you DO have to shop, PLEASE go to Walmart, just so these coat tail riding fundy assholes don't get to make a mark with their anti gay, hateful boycott: Read about the AFA and their agenda of hate, here.
Thanks for stopping by. back to my novel. (Oh!! 13-1/2] If you are a NaNo-er, you'd better be pounding out the WC instead of shopping tomorrow! That's what I'll be doing!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Happy Harvest Festival

2008-11-26T09:42:00.000-08:00

I love the Internet

2008-11-26T02:16:00.000-08:00

Okay. I'm wiped (made 40K tonight tho :-) so this is gonna be short. In 1979 or so I read a poem in Playboy magazine by Shel Silverstein. This was before I knew he was the lyricist for some of my then fav Dr. Hook songs and long before I read and Loved The Missing Piece and the rest of his fantastic stuffs.
I fell so in love with Shel through this poem; so in love with the poem that I copied it by hand into a journal. Somewhere along the way I lost that journal and have ever only been able to remember bits and snatches of the poem. In another moment of odd urges tonight, I thought of it- googled it-found it.
I am simply overjoyed. I loved it as much reading it now as I ever did. I gotta share it with ya'll. It rocks!

The Perfect High (Or The Quest of Gimmesome Roy) :

There once was a boy named Gimmesome Roy. He was nothing like me or you.
'Cause laying back and getting high was all he cared to do.
As a kid, he sat in the cellar, sniffing airplane glue.
And then he smoked bananas -- which was then the thing to do.

He tried aspirin in Coca-Cola, breathed helium on the sly,
And his life was just one endless search to find that perfect high.
But grass just made him want to lay back and eat chocolate-chip pizza all night,
And the great things he wrote while he was stoned looked like shit in the morning light.
And speed just made him rap all day, reds just laid him back,
And Cocaine Rose was sweet to his nose, but the price nearly broke his back.

He tried PCP and THC, but they didn't quite do the trick,
And poppers nearly blew his heart and mushrooms made him sick.
Acid made him see the light, but he couldn't remember it long.
And hashish was just a little too weak, and smack was a lot too strong,
And Quaaludes made him stumble, and booze just made him cry,
Till he heard of a cat named Baba Fats who knew of the perfect high.

Now, Baba Fats was a hermit cat who lived up in Nepal,
High on a craggy mountaintop, up a sheer and icy wall.
"But hell," says Roy, "I'm a healthy boy, and I'll crawl or climb or fly,
But I'll find that guru who'll give me the clue as to what's the perfect high."
So out and off goes Gimmesome Roy to the land that knows no time,
Up a trail no man could conquer to a cliff no man could climb.
For fourteen years he tries that cliff, then back down again he slides
Then sits -- and cries -- and climbs again, pursuing the perfect high.
He's grinding his teeth, he's coughing blood, he's aching and shaking and weak,
As starving and sore and bleeding and tore, he reaches the mountain peak.
And his eyes blink red like a snow-blind wolf, and he snarls the snarl of a rat,
As there in perfect repose and wearing no clothes -- sits the godlike Baba Fats.

"What's happening, Fats?" says Roy with joy, "I've come to state my biz.
I hear you're hip to the perfect trip. Please tell me what it is.
For you can see," says Roy to he, "that I'm about to die,
So for my last ride, Fats, how can I achieve the perfect high?"
"Well, dog my cats!" says Baba Fats. "here's one more burnt-out soul,
Who's looking for some alchemist to turn his trip to gold.
But you won't find it in no dealer's stash, or on no druggist's shelf.
Son, if you would seek the perfect high -- find it in yourself."

"Why, you jive motherfucker!" screamed Gimmesome Roy, "I've climbed through rain and sleet,
I've lost three fingers off my hands and four toes off my feet!
I've braved the lair of the polar bear and tasted the maggot's kiss.
Now, you tell me the high is in myself. What kind of shit is this?
My ears 'fore they froze off," says Roy, "had heard all kind of crap,
But I didn't climb for fourteen years to listen to that sophomore rap.
And I didn't crawl up here to hear that the high is on the natch,
So you tell me where the real stuff is or I'll kill your guru ass!"

"Ok, OK," says Baba Fats, "you're forcing it out of me.
There is a land beyond the sun that's known as Zaboli.
A wretched land of stone and sand where snakes and buzzards scream,
And in this devil's garden blooms the mystic Tzu-Tzu tree.
And every ten years it blooms one flower as white as the Key West sky,
And he who eats of the Tzu-Tzu flower will know the perfect high.
For the rush comes on like a tidal wave and it hits like the blazing sun.
And the high, it lasts a lifetime and the down don't ever come.
But the Zaboli land is ruled by a giant who stands twelve cubits high.
With eyes of red in his hundred heads, he waits for the passers-by.
And you must slay the red-eyed giant, and swim the River of Slime,
Where the mucous beasts, they wait to feast on those who journey by.
And if you survive the giant and the beasts and swim that slimy sea,
There's a blood-drinking witch who sharpens her teeth as she guards that Tzu-Tzu tree."
"To hell with your witches and giants," laughs Roy. "To hell with the beasts of the sea.
As long as the Tzu-Tzu flower blooms, some hope still blooms for me."
And with tears of joy in his snow-blind eye, Roy hands the guru a five,
Then back down the icy mountain he crawls, pursuing that perfect high.

"Well, that is that," says Baba Fats, sitting back down on his stone,
Facing another thousand years of talking to God alone.
"It seems, Lord", says Fats, "it's always the same, old men or bright-eyed youth,
It's always easier to sell them some shit than it is to give them the truth."

Masturbation, Strange Urges and NaNoWriMo...

2008-11-25T12:58:00.000-08:00

What do these things have in common? Not a damn thing as far as I can tell. (I just like to list in threes? Hmmmm... )
(Not necessarily in title order)
Last night I wrote just under 4 thousand words for my NaNoWriMo novel. Which is a really awesome thing, since I was about 6K behind. When I reached the halfway point in my month (if not my novel) of 25K I kinda freaked out. I realized that there was no way in hell I was gonna be able to complete my story arc within 25K more words. This might not seem like a big deal, but it really is. Chris Baty, the founder of NaNo, says so and as far as cranking out a novel in 30 days Chris is simply... well... GOD!!! Anyway, Chris says that it's really important to complete your story arc within the 50K words. Basically because it's much easier to come bact to fill bits in than it is to have an entire ending hanging over your head once the good (insane) pressure of November is over.
I think he's right. I know he's right. He's God, after all; he must be.
So, gonsidering that 50K words is a really tiny (but doable in 30 days) novel (barely more than a novella, actually), and knowing (fearing?) that this year's creative writing endeavor shall be about double that, (at least? I'm guessing.) I needed a vehicle to get me to the end of my story arc by November 30 and at somewhere just over 50K words. Since I write without an outline, (I can't outline, it seems. My characters seem to have minds of their own, and I never really know what they will do until they're doing it), and I have the vaguest sort of concept for my novel's end, but no real idea how the story will take me to it, nor what will actually happen, I decided to sort of summarize each chapter and sort of flow in and out of narrative as the scene (or my pushy damned characters) demanded.
This is fucking rocking for me! Seriously!! I'm loving it, when I actually push all the other crap aside and sit down to write, this is working!!! Yay, me! Yay, novel! Yay, NaNoWriMo!!!
Okay, that was a rather long intro to segue into the title matter, but here goes. Last night, about 3/4 way through my 4K evening, listening to background music and occasionally struck by lyrics as always, I stopped a moment to sing along and was struck by a nearly overwhelming urge to stop writing and tattoo some song lyrics on my arm in a typewriter font. It was really weird. I mean, I'm a tattoo artist and all, and it has been awhile since I've had any new ink, and I do jones a bit for some occasionally, but usually when I'm inking on someone else. Not just out of the blue, apropos of nothing.
Well, I didn't do it. I'm under the gun with this noveling and the holiday, especially since we are having two days of dinners; one here with family and one away with extended "family". Even if I manage to catch up the 3K I'm still behind today, I'll be behind abgain by friday and that's fucking SCARY!!!
And for whatever reason, the overwhelming urge to tattoo these particular lyrics on my arm has passed, so I'm probably glad I didn't ink something so transient on myself permanently. So that was the "strange urge".

So yeah. I hope you didn't think the masturbation was the strange urge. I mean, it's a pretty normal urge in general, I think. But then again, sometimes the urge to break one off does come at the oddest times, doesn't it? Am I the only one who thinks that an orgasm is better than a sleeping pill? Ever lie around tossing and turning, but not want to take anything and then bingo! You just know if you knock a quick one out you'll relax and sleep like a baby? So I get to bed at about 4 AM and this urge comes over me. Not strange; perfectly normal. The urge to brak off a quick one. It's not just a mental urge, either. Again; apropos of nothing my body was suddenly screaming for an orgasm!
Weird. Well, I managed to get to sleep without doing that either, but only because I didn't feel like getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom or something. My poor girlyboy only had about another hour to sleep and I really didn't want to wake her up. She's PMS-ing like a freakin Harpy right now (Let me inform all of you that there is NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING, worse than a butch with PMS!!!), and she needs her beauty sleep to go do her job. She works hard, my girlyboi; so it was out of pure love and consideration (and PMS avoidance) that I resisted the urge to break one off.
*sigh
I did wake up this morning at about 8, handle the situation and go back to sleep for a couple hours. But I digress. The thing is, do these two seemingly unrelated urges have anything in common? Are they some sort of result of creativity overload or something? Am I coming out of my depression? WTF?
Only my muse knows.