Working

Last day of the week.... aaahhh....

Tomorrow is the first of my 3 showers. As my new Aunt Sue put it, "For two people who didn't want a lot of fuss..." But this first one is just a BBQ at the hospital. It should be fun. Those people Jeff works with are a lot of fun to be around.

I am getting excited about the party. Tomorrow I'm going to talk to Denise Dashner about my wedding cake. Ah, my favorite part of any meal - dessert.

I am also pretty psyched about role-playing this weekend, we missed a week of Mage and I missed playing. Plus I can't wait to get into those books I got in last week's Buffy game.

Well, still at work. Blessed Be and Merry Part!

So we got the car

Jeff and I have a 2004 Dodge Neon now. :) The weekend was busy with role-playing. I really really really liked meeting my dad in the Buffy game Sunday night Paul. Can you please tell me how to spell his name?

They gave me a big cubicle at work. This doesn't neccessarily mean I'm not losing my job though. Adelphia is more than dumb enough to have us switch desks and computers around, even if we are being let go at the end of October.

Less than a month til my wedding! :)

Oh - neat customer name - Teagan Wolfe

Shopping

Well, after the last week's fiasco with my Buick we've decided it's time to have a new car. Jeff and I are shopping and pricing and today. With any luck, I'll have a new car to drive to work Monday or Tuesday. So far we've gone to the Dodge dealership here in Bradford and looked at a Dodge Neon. They even let us bring it home for the day while the appraise my Buick for trade (let's hope they don't look too closely ;-)

It's looking good for the Neon, they're making us a good deal because it was used for Driver's Ed for a while. It has about 3000 miles on it. I do want to look at the other dealership in town, just to see if there's anything else we like better. (read I like better, I will be the one driving it.)

Just wanted to update everyone. Mom and Dad will be so surprised, I haven't even gotten to tell them anything since they are away at a golf tournament of some sort.

Looking forward to gaming this weekend with everyone, Merry Part and Blessed Be.

On Witches Voice Today

Some good articles that I thought all my friends would either be amused by, or just make you say, "hmmm."

"Witches are trying to kill me"

Thwart Not The Librarian - This is the blog of radical librarian Jessamyn West, who is protesting against the Patriot Act, which in case you don't know, is the government's way to protect us from terrorists while taking away our civil rights. She's quite a character.

Merry Part and Blessed Be!

POLL

Not that anyone who reads this would really care, but:

Is registering for DVDs, music and books a couple wants on Amazon improper? Or is it the new way to do things when couples are getting married in their mid-20s and need another toaster, pan, plate or wok like they need a hole in the head?

Monday, Monday dah dah dah daah da da

At work once again. We had a good weekend roleplaying. I liked Vita's Mage game. My character, a kind of cyber-pagan orphan named Nicole Saint, is filled with WoD angst. She has a permanent limp and walks with a cane from when she was mugged and raped during college. But I'm not the worst handicapped member of the group. Adam is playing a 10 year old boy who is blind, deaf and mute. He communicates with mind magic. He's also an albino apparently, or maybe that's from the experiments. Paul's character, a stoic guy named John, rescued him from a Progenitor Lab. (for non-roleplayers, think evil scientists) Jeff's character hasn't really synched up wth the party yet, he's a lecherous, murderous blind guy (Johnny Depp from Once Upon A Time in Mexico). He started groping me and planning to kill the Chinese delivery guy, so I kicked him out of my apartment.

Well, at work, so gotta go. Merry Part and Blessed Be!

Gnome Gnames

Customer name today - Wendaleen Ringgold. She could be a gnome. Lilt Tilt's long lost cousin, perhaps. It's been an interesting day on the phones. I talked to a children's author about setting up webhosting. I wanted to tell her that Speakeasy has cheaper hosting, but just in case I was being taped, I didn't. Speakeasy hosts PVP, a webcomic I recently started reading. It's pretty funny.

Other than that, I've been thinking a lot about Paul's game. I'm really excited about playing Thursday. I watched Becoming from Season 2 of Buffy (the first episode where Willow does magic) and Practical Magic to get ideas. Paul, can I learn to light candles with my breath, please? I also started re-reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight.

Merry Part and Blessed Be!

More funny customer names

Ardalan Haghighat. I'm not sure if it sounds like a character from my Servidea campaign (starring Manservant Hecubis and Fred the Ranger) or like a Dr. Seuss character.

I had a good time with Lacy this weekend. The Renaissance Faire was fun. Jeff bought two swords at the pirate auction, and Lacy got a set of 7 swords, + stands for a really great bargain. Lacy and I had fun at Hersheypark, the suspended coaster there, The Great Bear, is fantastic. I love the feeling of being upside down and looking up and seeing nothing but a big blue sky.

I'm at work so that's all for now, I'm also looking forward to Paul's Buffy game this week.

Merry Part and Blessed Be!

Holy Two Handed Sword of Shock, Batman!

Paul - I had a customer today named Dawn Kendrick. It made me think of Aidan. Good to see everyone last night! :) I'm so stoked about this weekend, Lacy and I are going to Hersheypark all by ourselves! I'll have to buy a present for Keely, as it is her favorite place on earth.

Working now...

Merry Part

Too busy living life to post about it

I had a very busy, good weekend. Jeff and I went and feasted with my parents on Friday. We had steak, crab cakes, shrimp, corn on the cob and baked potatoes. Then we visited with Jess and Frosh and the dogs when we got back from Bradford. They found a house to rent in Custer City, with a big yard for Amelia and Quincy to run around in.

Saturday I cleaned, and baked a cake. Wendy and Grant were in Dubois seeing her faimily and came up to see us. They helped me eat my cake. :) We played Munchkin, and Jeff showed Grant how to play Dark Alliance 2. I also started a game of Champions of Norrath this weekend. It's good to have the PS2 back.

Well, I'm at work so that's all for now. Merry Part and Blessed Be!

Here is a good website

And here is a sample from it - And by the way, these are good reasons for EVERYONE to vote, not just Pagans. You still have time, get registered! There are a lot of places online you can download the forms and mail them in. It costs $0.37 if you do, and who knows what it will cost us all if George W. stays in office another four years!

Getting off my soapbox now, here's the stuff and the link:

13 Reasons Why Pagans Should Vote

Because Voting is Very Pagan!
Many of us come from proud traditions that used a Council and other forms of the voting process to make decisions. Native Americans, Vikings, the Greeks, and other Pagan cultures valued this right highly, and fought to keep it.
Voting is an ancient Pagan tradition. Apathy, on the other hand, is a modern invention – it suits those in power very well indeed, but it disempowers you!


Because Pagans Know Our History:
It’s easy to say, “Never again the burning times”, but actions speak louder than words. Let them know we mean it. Vote!


Because The Opposition Votes…A Lot:
Our government was designed for citizen participation. If you don't vote, other people are going to make the decisions for you. There are people out there who hate us, and who want to take away our rights and freedoms. They are organized, they are active, and they vote. What about you?



Because Pagans Honor Our Ancestors:
They fought long and hard for the freedoms we have today. Let us respect this heritage and use the rights they won for us all.


Because Pagans Have Strong Opinions:
If you are eligible to vote, but choose not to, no one should ever have to listen to you whine about the laws and policies of this country. Don’t vote? Don’t Complain!


Because Lighting a Candle Isn’t Enough:
The last Presidential Election proved that every vote matters.

Because “The Supremes” Matter:
The next President will appoint the next (2 - 3) members of the U.S Supreme Court. They dictate what freedoms stay and what freedoms are eliminated by their interpretation of the Constitution. These people have a direct (and final!) say in issues that affect us all


Because “Everything She Touches, Changes”:
Most politicians think that Pagans are a bunch of apathetic wing nuts who never vote. Why then, should they listen to us? But they watch “voting trends” the way a hawk watches a rabbit. Groups who are known to vote on certain issues (like the so-called “Soccer Moms”) have political power which they can use to promote positive change for other like-minded citizens. That said, Pagans do not all have to vote the same way or even vote as a group. What matters is that they know we're out there and that we vote.


Because the Personal is Political:
Elected Officials make decisions on things that matter to us personally like the environment, jobs, reproductive freedom, education, and health care. Voting is your chance to tell them what you want.


Because “As Above, So Below” is Also True in Politics:
The Federal & State government decides who gets to benefit from the tax dollars we all pay. Politicians control these purse strings, and they hand down money from above for things like collage loans, animal shelters, libraries, breast cancer research, and more. Make sure that the causes and services you care about get funded. Vote!


Because Voting = The Power To Make Social Change:
Don’t believe us? Take a look at women's lives before they had the power of the vote, and see how different things are now. Then look at the struggle for civil rights (including the right to vote) by people of color No one handed their rights to these folks – they had to demand them. And many were beaten, jailed, and killed in the process.


Today, people in other countries are literally dying for the chance to vote because they know how important it is. Social change is only possible when we stand up to be counted. So stand up!


Because We Want “No Taxation Without (Equal) Representation”:
In Congress only 13 percent of the members are people of color, and only 14 percent are women. Want to change that ratio? Vote!


Because That Sound You Hear is a Culture Clash:
Right now, there are two major political parties in the U.S. These parties see the world in very different ways and each will make different decisions. Their choices will directly affect your future. Meanwhile, minority opinions still struggle to be heard.


Question: Who gets to decide what direction we take?

Answer: Only voters decide.

Merry Part and Blessed Be!

Rings -n- Things

Well, it's money spending time again. I just pre-ordered the new Anita Blake Vampire Hunter book that's due out at the end of September. It's called Incubus Dreams. The titles, and the books, are getting successively more erotic. While I think this is a good thing, there are those that disagree.

Tomorrow I'm going to order our wedding bands from Walker Metalsmiths. They will be going on the credit card. We had Jeff's finger measured today and he's an 11 1/2. My ring size is a 5 1/2. Me with my little tiny carnie hands.

We're also going to see Exorcist the Beginning. The previews on the Internet looked interesting, even though I've never seen the movies that this is a prequel to.

And all the Pitt kids will be back Saturday. I'm excited about role-playing again.

ANd that's all for now, Michelle lent me a good book when I stopped to see her the other day, so I'm going to get back to that until it's time to leave for the movie.

Blessed Be and Merry Part!

PS - And aren't links fun?

No Books!

I got to work today and realized I didn't have the books I'm reading in the car. All I had were the two books of Michelle's I'm trying to return, and an old black notebook. The notebook had ideas I had come up with for Mage characters and story seeds using the Mage Tarot deck. Some of them were kind of interesting. (3 of Questing, King of Dynamism, 5 of Primordialism Inverted = An African Dreamspeaker who is an Umbral warrior. He defeats spirits of plague and disease in his homeland)
It made me considering trying to run a whole plot using the Mage Tarot, but we don't have a time slot open for the fall. Maybe when Paul burns out from running two campaigns and being in the play, I'll have a chance then. ;) (And Paul, when Kevin showed Lacy, Jeff and I the new theater I got in a plug for you, "Well, we always come see anything that Paul is in.")

I also started writing a little fairy tale on my 15 minute break. I've got about a paragraph so far, maybe I'll post it if it gets interesting.

Not too much going on here. I've fallen off the meditation wagon again. I'm just so tired, and every second I have to spend with Jeff is too precious to send him away. If I could, I would spend all day with my skin touching his, just revelling in how wonderful it feels to be this in love.

And now that I've been extremely sappy for the day, I'll end this here. Merry Part and Blessed Be.

Weekend Update

My brother Tom's wedding was Friday. They had the worst possible weather for it. it thundered and poured all through the ceremony. The tent that we were all in (it was an outside wedding, of course) had a fold that kept filling up with water and it had to be emptied constantly throughout the ceremony. They emptied into a big bucket and it sounded like a giant was taking a leak. The food was okay. The food at my party will be much better, of course ;-). But most of all it was a bummer because my whole family was there, and not one of us was excited to be there. You could feel a gaping absence of the happy buzz that usually surrounds a wedding. I think everyone was thinking their own version of, "This isn't a good idea." Neither Tom or his wife have finished college yet, and now Tom's completely cut himself off from our family. I don't think he would have cared if we didn't show up at all. :(

Saturday was a really good day though. Jeff and I went to a picnic at his Aunt Sue's house in St Marys. Jeff's cousin Kim and her daughter Andy were up from Virginia. We sat around a fire all day, and made s'mores. It was really relaxing, especially after the emotional suckfest of Friday.

Interesting customer name of the day: Berylyn - it sounds sort of elven, doesn't it?

Merry Part and Blessed Be

My Brother's Wedding Day

Today my little brother is getting married. The good part is that Jeff only had 2 patients, so they let him take the day off. So I won't have to go through this alone. It really sucks that I'm not gaining a sister, I'm losing a brother.

I did get online to post yesterday morning, really, but I sat here at 9 AM and realized nothing had happened yet to write about. Mostly yesterday I talked online with Paul, and he helped me work on my character for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG he is going to run when school starts. Here's my profile so far, including the stats Paul came up with:

My Character for Paul's Buffy RPG

Saoirse Morgaine Campbell

She is a high school sophomore in Twilight, WV. Her mother, Meghan, raised her alone. She and her mom are Wiccans. Her mom is an herbalist, and also a political activist. Saoirse has been taught to fear "the man" by her mom, and local politics and environmental issues are normal dinner table discussion. Sometimes Saoirse voices her opinion on this issues at inconvienent times and makes people angry. Her mom has a beat up old van and in the summer they go to pagan festivals (the nudity is optional) and sell clothes they've made and herbs. Her mom sells some of her herbs through a mail-order occult supplier. They don't have a lot of money. Her mom does work part-time during the winter, when the growing season is over. Saoirse packs her lunch everyday. They grow as much of their own food as they can in window boxes and in a little garden plot. Their house is a little run down, but cozy.

There are very few other Wiccans in the area, so Saoirse has a lot of friends online. She's not a computer whiz, she uses it primarily to email and chat with people she meets in the summer. And she goes to the public library to use it, since she and her mom don't have a computer, and couldn't afford Internet anyway.

Physically she's in pretty good shape, the van's poor condition encourages them to walk most places, or take mass transit where available. (Saoirse rides the school bus) Plus the mostly vegetarian diet helps with avoiding that teenage demon, acne. Her teeth are a bit crooked, couldn't afford braces. She wears skirts most of them time, they're just easier to make than pants. She has wavy dishwater blonde hair, and hazel eyes. Freckles on her nose in the summer. She's pretty comfortable with herself, talking to boys isn't a big deal because she has never met any in Twilight she'd want to date.

The spells she knows and uses are for luck and protection. To remember the right answer for a test, to keep the van running, to keep vandals out of her locker, etc. Love spells are a big no-no, even though if anyone at school talks to her, it's usually to ask for that or a Tarot reading. She stopped giving thoughs after a few too many things came true. She predicted the car accident that killed two seniors her freshman year. Her favorite subjects in school are biology, english and home economics. She constantly petitions the cafeteria to offer a vegetarian option, and got her biology teacher to help start a recycling program. A lot of kids at school think her mom grows pot, so once in a while she gets asked for that. Her mom has always encouraged her to stay away from drugs, though, "The 60's were fun, sweetie, I just wish I remembered more of them."

Most of the time not having friends at school doesn't bother her. Her mom is her best friend, and they have always had fun together. But Saoirse does want to get out of Twilight, and move west or south or north or anywhere where there are more people like them. She and her mom do fight about that sometimes. But Meghan always says she feels like the land needs them in Twilight. If they weren't there to fight against the corrupt politicians, and the close-minded people, who would be?





Character Notes

Character Type: White Hat
Life Points: 36
Drama Points: 20

Strength 1
Dexterity 2
Constitution 3
Intelligence 3
Perception 3 (1 level from Artist quality)
Willpower 5 (1 level from Artist quality)

Qualities (10 + 5 from drawbacks)
Sorcery +2 (10)
Artist (writing, sewing) (2)
Hard to Kill 2 (2)
Contacts (Internet Wiccans) 1 (1)

Drawbacks (6)
Teenager (2)
Misfit (2)
Minority (Wiccan) (1)
Resources (Below Average) (1)

Skills (15 + 1 from drawbacks)
Art 3 (1 level from Artist quality)
Computers 1
Knowledge 3
Notice 3
Occultism 1
Wild Card (Sewing) 3
Wild Card (Wiccan Theory) 4

Well, It's almost shower time. And I should eat breakfast. Mainly because my mom refuses to break bread with the new in-laws, we'll be missing the reception food.

Thank Goddess Jeff Sr and Beth and my mom and dad seemed to like each other on their first and only meeting thus far.

Merry Part and Blessed Be.

Janis is back up North!

My witchy mentor and all around cool person, Janis Trubic, is up from Florida this week! I am so excited, I have missed her a lot. Some of you may know her from Baily's Beads, she's also a hell of a writer. Jeff and I are going down to Sheffield to visit her today.

I left work early yesterday due to feeling extremely not well. After discussing my symptoms with Jeff, I think I have been getting migraines. Since I've already cut out caffeine, I guess the only other choice is to eliminate my other source of stress. I have to kill Tonya.

Just kidding. Mostly. I did bring some chamomile tea to work to help me de-stress on my breaks. I may go to wal-mart and have them loosen up the stems on my specs. Sometimes it feels like they are squeezing my face.

Well, time to start the day. Merry Part and Blessed Be!

Another interesting name: Kameron Snowden. It sounds like a good name for a WoD character, maybe a Qualmi, or a Wendigo.

Be A Goddess!

I am working through a new witchy book. The first lesson contains a prayer that I wanted to share. It does a good job summing up the way I feel about Wicca and the Goddess:

I know the laws of Nature are you, Lady
Keep me mindful that I step upon your body,
with your feet,
that my sorrows are your sorrows,
and that a healthy priestess makes all things sound.
I feel your breath in the wind, and your hand in mind
Keep my sincere
Give me to your work
which is to be joyous and to tend all things
because all things live,
of themselves
and with your spirit
Your will through mine, so mote it be.

And now I'm supposed to discuss with friends, or write about what I thought.
The second line is the thing I like best about Wicca. Everyday I feel my religion, and the Goddess around me. I can feel the earth pulse under my feet, and the wind and rain are her breath and tears and sweat. "Keep me sincere" is something that I think we all struggle for. It is hard to be honest all the time, we try to not hurt each others feelings, and sometimes do more harm that way. Sincerity is a hard quality to achieve. How often do you tell the people that you love how you really truly feel? Probably not as often as we could. "Give me your work, which is to be joyous and to tend all things" I love that the Goddess's work for me is to be happy and try to make everyone else around me happy too. Think of how great the world could be if everyone tried to make one other person really happy everyday.

Well that's all my thoughts for now, I'm at work. Just trying to get back to what my b-log was originally for, to share my thoughts on things, not just what I had for breakfast (Honey Buzzers)

Oh, another strange customer name: Tamothea Gamble. Not limerick inspiring, but it does sound like a good name for a halfling rogue.

Merry Part and Blessed Be!

Of fonts and fancy stickers

Yesterday mom and I went and ordered invitations for my wedding reception. So soon I'll be calling people to ask for mailing addresses. Some I have, some I don't. The invitations are neat. They're called seal and send. They have a rip-off and send back RSVP card. So this should be a no-brainer for everyone, including me. We also ordered pretty red napkins, and got some decorations from Cara Blum's mom. Cara's wedding colors were red and white, so they had a lot of neat stuff.

Lots of calls today, so short entry. Hope everyone had a good weekend!

GoooOOOoooD Morning!

Just in a weird mood... probably all the painkillers. The Circus is on its way to town, and if you don't know what that means I'm not going to explain it in mixed company. ;)

Interesting customer names: Ryma Puett. Although I bet you could use that name to write a couple of fun limericks with it. Let's see if I can come up with one:

There lived a girl named Ryma Pruett
She hated school so she said screw it
She became the star of her own rock band
And now she tells all her screaming fans
If you want to quit school, just do it!

**This limerick does not reflect the true feelings of the author towards the educational system. Knowledge is power, stay in school!**

More later
Merry Part and Blessed Be!

I feel like territory

Jeff scent-marked me before I left for work this morning. He sprayed me with his cologne (Ralph Lauren, Polo Sport) and now I can smell it anytime I tip my head down. It makes me miss him!

It's the big long day at work. I'm going to get Chinese for lunch. Wonton soup. Yummy. I decided to drive here over Minard Run today rather than over Rew Hill. (For non-Bradfordians who are somewhat familiar with the area, that means I took the road that turns left by the cemetary on South 219 rather than taking Rte 46 out by the Dari-Hut.) Of course, this would be the weekend that they freshly tarred and chipped that road. It was a couple days old, but riding up it with all those loose chips was still rather noisy. I'm worried about damage to the bottom of my car. After all, I've got 3 years of payments left on my Buick.

That's all for now, I am at work after all.

Merry Part and Blessed Be!