Gerald R. Ford, (1913 - 2006)

So within the same couple of days that we bid a fond farewell to the Godfather of Soul, we also say goodbye to the 38th president, a man who had something of an FDR-ish role to fill in the White House.

Dad and I were just watching House when there was a newsbreak, I said, "It's probably something about flood warnings." As the words left my lips, I had a feeling I was probably wrong.

Ford was appointed to fill in after Nixon's resignation, left to clean up the mess of Vietnam and Cambodia, an energy crisis, rampant inflation and a depressed economy.

In his handling of these situations, Ford earned himself the respect of his fellow politicians. Jimmy Carter began his inaugural speech by saying, "For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land."

I believe history will be kind to President Ford, the last good Republican that's come down the pike so far.

These things tend to happen in threes--I wonder who's next? (Sorry if that sounds morbid or disrespe

"How's Your Boy?"

Because I just really hate this man.

Really.

From CNN's Political Ticker:

After he declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the president at a White House reception two weeks ago, VA Sen-elect James Webb (D) had the following exchange with Bush, as reported by the Washington Post:

"'How's your boy?' Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

'I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President,' Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.

'That's not what I asked you,' Bush said. 'How's your boy?'

'That's between me and my boy, Mr. President,' Webb said coldly."

Uh, erm, yes, it's angel time!!!

Interesting goings on at Weiser/Red Wheel.

“Because that’s angel time!” she brightly explains. “That’s when you can connect with angels — 11:11 a.m. and 11:11 p.m. We also like to have meetings at 4:20.”

Considering impressions I've gotten after having met certain people that work for certain people, that's not altogether surprising...

And the Queen said, "Fuck everything, let's talk about FOOD, you guys!"

There is a street near school that has two tremendous places:  the first is a produce store where EVERYTHING is at its peak of ripeness and freshness, and the prices are crazy insane cheap, like half the price you would pay at Safeway.

The second, is Trader Joe's. 

They have these things there, stuffed grape leaves?  Can we talk here?  Ok, the grape leaves themselves are soaked in brine.  Anything soaked in brine wins cool points with me (and I know all that salt is bad, but...)  Then, it's like this rice stuffing mixture that has tomatoes, olive oil, green and red peppers and mint.  Mint!  The sum-total of these ingredients is just, it's just...ohhgoditsgood!

And then, there is this Thai food place near my house that I have discovered that has these corn cakes that are not really like cornbread in any way, just fresh corn and something else corny and crispy, and then they serve it with this cucumber sauce that is like really fresh cucumber with like hot & sour sauce, but cold.

In conclusion, I just found out that Peet's coffee is again serving its to-die-for pumpkin spice lattes!!!

How Transactions Change Owner's Equity...

Gah! I am going to get this stuff!!!

See, last year I was mainly doing typing, math, 10-key, and Excel. Now my teacher says that I'm ready to learn actual accounting principles. And the book is like, oh my goodness...

It takes me a while to crunch the ideas into my brain. Like yesterday, I was having a huge brainfart trying to grasp the concept of the basic accounting equation: assets = liabilities + owner's equity. So I had to wait til after class to go through the book by myself and I finally got it: that just means you're going to minus the liabilities from the assets to get the owner's equity! (You remember basic math, don't you, Hermgirl? Anybody want me to do their taxes?)

The thing is, when you take a bunch of numbers, lay them end to end, stack them on top of each other and lay them out on a grid, like you do in accounting, it kinda scares the shit out of me. For a person like me that is a more creative, artistic, language based type, to assimilate things that are more concrete and number based, is really hard.

Which begs the question: if it's so hard, why do it? One answer to that is that I have always felt that a lot of the things in life that are worth anything will often require a lot of effort. Nothing worth anything comes easy.

Another answer is what this will get me if I am able to do it successfully: a good paying job. I have to keep explaining this one to my family when they question why I struggle through with this stuff (they are all a lot older than me and are products of a time when the economy was such that good paying jobs were much easier to get.)

My family (especially my dad) gets all uncomfortable when they see me muddling through these kind of things. And my dad has a hard time understanding things like, "No, I can't come in the front room and watch the PBS musical show with you, or go to Orchard Supply Hardware with you to look at the new table you're getting, because I have homework, a lot of it."

Having said all that, it's all worth it.

Tappin' the guy on the KNEE!!! Clinton gets tough.

If you wanted to see the Clinton interview on FOX, but experienced cock-blockage because the Ninnycons had the video removed from YouTube, etc, the majority of the Clinton interview is here.

Liquid Cinnamon Sex--For PettyBeige

It is a cold, rainy December day. After browsing at the library, you are perambulating through the town's main shopping street, umbrella overhead. You walk past the Banana Republic, the Talbot's, the Gap.

You cross the street and enter a coffee shop which is not a Starbuck's, but almost. What the place lacks in crass commercialism and bad atmosphere, it makes up for in warmth and unassuming charm.

There is music, Anita Baker, softly purring in the background. You approach the counter, and looking at the goodies behind the glass, you decide to yourself, "Yes, I will have that brownie that looks so good." One of those "holiday specialty" spicy pumpkin lattes will fill the bill as well.

The attendant is an attractive, cheerful Asian man of about your own age (not a teenager.) His smile and pleasant manner light up the otherwise clammy gray afternoon. Heck, you even give the guy a tip, and you're not much of a counter-tipper.

You will not remember the exact name of the drink you have chosen, much like the perfect one-night stand you meet at some Christmas party or other where things just seem to line up your way for an evening.

Expert hands which seem to have been guided by an Unseen Force, put in just the right amount of coffee, steamed milk, and pumpkin and cinnamon spice.

The ingredients of this drink, or, more specifically, the flavors, are indeed quite special. The steam rises from the cup and delivers the spicy bouquet of pumkin to your nostrils. The nutmeg sprinkled on top, shimmers and twinkles at you as it floats on the foam at the top of the cup.

Those who study alchemy or sex magick will understand this: It is as if you have invoked the Angel of the Nutmeg, the Angel of the Cinnamon, the Angel of the Pumpkin, and the Angel of the Coffee who have all transmogrified into the Lover of Your Soul, as they stand, tiptoes on the edge of the paper cup, waiting. Waiting for you.

You lift the cup to your lips. The temperature is just hot enough, just below too hot for you to quaff a healthy amount of the drink. As it flows into your mouth, over your tongue, you realize: you haven't tasted anything this delicious in a very, very long time.

You close your eyes and mouth after the first taste, savoring it. You lean back in your chair, open your book and start reading with a sense of satisfaction that must be palpable to the others in the coffee shop. You are going to take your time with this beverage.

You are in a unique bubble of time and space.

So school has started and I'm taking Computerized Accounting again. I'm really happy and exited about it - I've got maybe the best Bus Ed teacher in the the Bay Area as my teacher.

Once again there are people that don't quite know the ropes here as well as I do, and I'll be available to help - I have enough of a handle on what I'm doing for it not to be a problem.

But then there are the negative people, like the one I was talking to on the first week - I had to turn my head away and stick my tongue out at the blackboard as she was talking, she was such a complainer. Everyone is here for the same purpose, darling, to upgrade their job skills and hence, also has a sense of urgency/importance about what they're doing and about finishing and getting a certificate and so forth. The problem I have with you, you unique little snowflake, you, is I don't enjoy taking time to help and encourage people who have no interest in being helped and encouraged, although, that doesn't stop them from asking me for it. But enough about that bitch.

By contrast, I helped a person this week - taught them how to work with tables in word to make a calendar - that was so appreciative, it was a joy. I could tell their openness and positivity made it easy for them to grasp the concepts. I wonder how well the first person will do, but I have confidence in the second one.

Oh, in case anyone is wondering about how I said I'm taking the class again, this is a vocational school I'm at. It's an at your own pace, pick and choose your own curriculum, sort of place. People who have been there longer help newbies, there are aspects that are run just like a job site, that sort of thing.

Anyway, I am really happy to be back in school! I love my class, I love my friends, I love my teacher, I love my new accounting book!!! (12/20/08--Heh.)

accounting
school

Happy 9/11 Day!!!

Five years ago today was a day when we all huddled together for strength, when we felt close because we all felt as though we had been touched by tragedy.  We believed, on this day five years ago, that though the toll taken had been harsh, we could continue to stand together and somehow weather the storm of grief that had suddenly been thrust upon us.

The Idiot in Chief stood amongst the rescue workers, the first responders, at Ground Zero on this day five years ago, and declared:

"The whole country hears you! I can assure you, those responsible for this will soon hear from us all!"

And it was hard not to get choked up.  Hard not to believe that somehow, we could all get together, rally behind our president, and fix this, or something.

Wonder what Bush & Co are up to now?

Things That Have Been Occupying My Mind Lately...

For the past couple of months, I've been thinking a lot about David Icke. David Icke is a man with a lot of really unusual ideas. He was originally an English soccer player, then became a sportscaster, then was a spokesman for the British Green Party. In 1991 the Party dumped him after he revealed to the world that he was the Son of God and a "channel for the Christ spirit" on national television. The consensus around Great Britain was that he'd lost his marbles.

I started watching this series of films taken from a talk he gave about the Illuminati. Mind-bogglingly weird stuff but very entertaining and informative, especially the details about history and occult symbolism. But the aspect about it that really struck me the most was what was talked about at the beginning of this film clip. There is a lot of other stuff on these films that really stretches the bounds of believabilty, such as the reptilian bloodlines story, but the beginning deals in a very interesting way with the issues of fear and control.

The idea of how you can use fear to control people's minds. If there are fewer of "you" than there are of "them", how do you get "them" to conduct themselves the way you want them to? The answer would be: get them to make each other do it!

The whole world seems to be ruled by "that's not the way we do things around here!" and Icke talks very convincingly of the idea of people being ruled by the fear of what other people think.

So I've been thinking about these things, and it seems to go together with some other things that I've been looking at on teh interwebs about how leaders of some groups use fear and control to separate you from yourself in a sense. This woman, if you look at her website, has a rather bizarre tale to tell, almost beyond belief, but if you google the name Kay Griggs, or do a search for it on YouTube, there are some startling parallels (and I also don't have a problem with the idea that an asshole like Reagan could make himself beholden to an American Nazi cell group.)

Now she tells some very far-fetched tales about people being forced to drink urine, but if we think about it, certain organizations sometimes try to get you to "drink the kool-aid", in a manner of speaking, and doing this can be almost as degrading, since it separates you from yourself, in a way.

Things can happen in our lives, either through abuse or trauma of some kind, that can destroy our ability to access our natural compassion, as in the case of Richard Ramirez, who as a child had an older cousin that was a mentor figure, a Vietnam vet, the cousin was also a sexual sadist and showed Richard pictures of how he had raped and murdered a Vietnamese woman. The cousin later murdered his wife in front of Richard, and committed suicide.

One of the things that amazes us about people who commit the type of crimes Richard Ramirez is guilty of, is the fact that they are able to do so without the least bit of feeling for the suffering of their victims. This is because they have been separated from their natural compassion, a process that is sometimes referred to by psychiatric workers as a "cognitave split" or, "switching". Essentially, there is something inside that is being shut down.

Compassion, if you look at Merriam-Webster Online, is defined one way as " the capacity for feeling for another's unhappiness or misfortune -- see HEART."
And heart is a very good word to apply here, because the Heart is the very seat of our compassion.

Some will understand that I speak of the Heart Chakra, that which may be termed, the Lover of Our Soul. It is here that we access our self-love, also, through meditation and other such work I believe it is where we can actually meet our Holy Guardian Angel on our own.

Certain organizations will try to tell you that only they have the means to help one get in touch with their HGA, but in the words of the woman at the Reflections in the Night website, "You are of no use to the cult if you love yourself." It is this bloggers opinion that even far-fetched Xian propaganda-style stories of urine drinking and figurative kool-aid drinking can draw some paralells.

I don't quite know how I got from talking about David Icke to Richard Ramirez, but I think this was just an exploration of the contents of my brain that wanted to get written the way it was written.

---

tag: david icke, compassion, kay griggs, richard ramirez, hga,

Getting back into the swing of things

I just put a brand new 512 MB of RAM into my machine, (with my own two hands!) and I'm raring to go. Been really busy lately, housesitting and stuff, so haven't been posting lately. I really want to try to get more substantive and concentrate on having worthwhile things to say. Things that have to do with my studies and writings.

To that end, then, I offer my opinion on something I came across while surfing on Amazon last night, a recommendation list by a "tarot expert".

Right off the bat I smell an agenda here--you can pretty much tell this was one of those situations where someone was doing a favor for another author/person with something to pimp, with the idea that when the time came, the one having their back scratched would reciprocate. I take a look at this woman's rather charming website, and discover that (sucking in breath) ooooh! She's got several tarot and divination decks slated to be published in the next four years! Coincidence? You be the judge.

Shameless self promotion not really being a problem, I press on. I find it really hard to believe that she, a "tarot professional", is often asked the difference between a pro and an expert. Joseph Martin, one of the professionals she name-checks here, once said the two main things people ask about when getting a reading are "getting laid and getting paid". Unless someone else was interested in becoming a professional reader, I don't see how this would come up, I see this as her way of setting up her argument to assure that she would be perceived as an Authority.

She is very adamant that: "A Tarot Professional is definitely not just anyone who can:
1. Write/publish Tarot books.
2. Create Tarot decks.
3. Take a Tarot class or course.
4. Write Tarot articles.
5. Write reviews of Tarot decks or books.
6. Get their work published in a magazine, ezine, newspaper, etc."

and that: "the truth is anyone can write books and publish them, create decks, take a class or course, write articles, review books or decks, or manage to have their work published without having any prior qualifications."

Anyone can also read cards in the park, or on one of those psychic telephone lines, or put out a shingle in front of a nice office, manage to make enough to live on for a year, and consider themselves a professional. I have nothing against those tarot certifications and degrees that are out there, but the fact is, the coursework that they are based on is comprised of the very things listed by Ms. Fox-Heins.

An author is plugged, who is "recognized as a historical and philosophical Tarot Expert." Recognized by whom? I have been studying the cards off and on for over twenty years, and I've never read any of his books, which all came out in the past five years.

You have to remember, before the occult revival of the turn of the twentieth century, for hundreds of years divination was the domain of little old ladies reading cards and tea leaves in their kitchens. And no, I don't have any documentation to back that up.

Having said that, I have no disrespect whatsoever for folks that actually do read professionally--I'd like to have a turn at it myself someday. What I have an objection to is fundamentalism and overcomplication for its own sake. Again, nothing against the licences and certifications people can get if they feel so led, but there is not now, nor will there ever be, the equivalent of "passing a bar exam" for the tarot.

At least not if people like me have anything to do with it.

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Technorati tags: tarot
tarot certifications

Cake or Death? Or, You're Lucky I'm a Church of E Pagan!

Therefore the kings of the earth shall be Kings for ever: the slaves shall serve. There is none that shall be cast down or lifted up: all is ever as it was. Yet there are masked ones my servants: it may be that yonder beggar is a King. A King may choose his garment as he will: there is no certain test: but a beggar cannot hide his poverty.

Beware therefore! Love all, lest perchance is a King concealed! Say you so? Fool! If he be a King, thou canst not hurt him.

Therefore strike hard & low, and to hell with them, master!

Now, if you know where that comes from, good for you, you earn a few cool points.

The poet's name will not be mentioned here, nor will certain words or topics be talked about any further in this journal, at least not in the *obvious* ways that such things get talked about.

Not that I no longer value the things I learned about this paradigm, but I feel a sea change coming on.

Things I've been checking out as spiritual options are seeming a lot less attractive to me these days. There will be a change in direction soon. This video hints at that a little bit:

"Principal Firebush"

This was already shaping into a funny short, but in the last five seconds it made the meta-leap into the mind-bogglingly awesome zone.

Fellow Pulp Fiction fans take note.

Confessions of a Former Retail Whore

Just wanted to expand on my thoughts on this article at DIY Planner.

As my Grandma Mary would no doubt have said, "It doesn't cost an extra dime to be courteous."

Having worked at places like Mickey D's, Sears, etc., I know what a few nice words or a pleasant smile can mean. It can sometimes mean the difference between crying yourself to sleep that night and not.

The people who make a point of saying a couple nice words or just being generally pleasant,(like, not returning my smile and nice greeting with a hate-filled glare and the words "Just hurry up and ring me up!") can really make up for the people who behave like complete and utter assholes.

Because I remember (and hope I never forget) what it was like, I look at it as my job to be a sort of professional nice person, being kind to waitstaff and clerks, even unto the lowliest trainee. I also make a mental note of anyone I might be with, and whether or not they do the same. Anyone that puts an effort into being nasty to these folks is definately off the list of people I call friends.

And yes, there are people that actually go out of their way to be nasty to serviceworkers--and this is often a red flag that the person has a hostility problem, or some kind of control/manipulation issues. I had a friend that once used to brag to me about how she and her boyfriend (may they both burn in hell) used to start crap with everyone in a restaurant, completely oblivious to the fact that since my current job was as a table busser, I was extremely unimpressed.

Technorati Tags:retail, kindness

Me and the JWs in the Morning, Pt. 2

I'm waiting for the bus, and the lady comes by with her pamphlets again. There were a lot of young people around, so she had hit pay dirt, they all took one.

I was combing my hair in the window, and then my eyes caught sight of a damp old Watchtower in the plants. In a stroke of genius, I turned around and handed it to her, saying, "Here, why don't you take this one back? It's all messed up." This was classic.

Of course, she didn't quite know how to react to this, so she stiffly took it back and said, "Thank you, I'll dispose of this properly."

Wallow, wallow in your shame, polluters of the earth!!! Thou hast promulgated thy unclean religion in the wrong place.

Kevin Smith, Thelemite???

Snoochie Boochies, I think Lunchbox knows something!

Go here, and then scroll down to the pic that says, "because she's my star."

Everyone's doing it...

That Wikipedia meme (get your minds out of the gutter!)

Go to Wikipedia.com and enter your date of birth (excluding the year). Post 3 events, 3 births, and 1 death.

Events:

• Roman Empire – Quinquatrus Minusculae held in honor of Minerva
• Roman Empire – seventh day of the Vestalia in honor of Vesta
• 1920 - The United States Postal Service rules that children may not be sent via parcel post.

Births:

• 1865 - William Butler Yeats, Irish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1939)
• 1884 - Gerald Gardner, British occultist (d. 1964) ---Hmmm...
• 1926 - Paul Lynde, American actor (d. 1982)
• 1969 - Rivers Cuomo--from Weezer (also very celibate.)
  

Death:

• 1987 - Geraldine Page, American actress (b. 1924)

In which I make a rather controversial assertion:

This video is evidence of the fact that the early seventies group, Uriah Heep practically invented the use of stepped harmonies in rock music. Before they came along, there was no one else doing it (neither Yes nor Queen was around when they started, the only other bands that came remotely close vocally were the Beach Boys and Buffalo Springfield.)

And for those of us interested in Aleister Crowley, an awesome piece from Media Underground (if you can get past the Colin Wilson innacuracies):

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

This is mainly in honor of the celebration of the three days of the writing of the Book of the Law, but also proof that I've been spending too much time on the 'puter. ;o)

When do the rats leave?

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/national/national.php?story=177338

Does anyone remember when the only thing holding the Republicans back from going for Clinton's jugular was Larry Flynt and what he dug up on them? One shudders at what he found on all of them.

And in the Maybe if We Stop Thinking About Them, They Will Go Away Department: YouTube has tons of Jethro Tull videos. I was going to put a direct link to them, but the computer went all floopy.

This is just scary

And I know I said that tv sucks, but what I really meant (of course) was that most tv sucks with the exception of Project Runway, or anywhere they are doing sewing or any kind of needlework.

Jay Mccarroll, are you out there in the blogosphere? The world needs your sunny smile to counteract the darkness that is Santino.