Bearly There

Drinking coffee, staring out the living room window at the first giant snowflakes of the season. They soon turned to raindrops, but there is no denying winter's arrival is imminent. While perusing Percival Press I found this unusual comment from Viggo Mortensen.

Open letter to Patrick Barkham, in reaction to his report about bears in the Selkirk mountain range of British Columbia in the Saturday Guardian of 22 November, 2008 ("Bear Thrills"):

Dear Patrick,

First of all, congratulations on your recent trip to British Columbia. That province contains some of the world's most beautiful alpine scenery and abundant wildlife, including grizzly and black bears. You described the Selkirk Mountains area well. Since I am quite familiar with the region (I live near the Selkirks, south of the Canadian border), and am accustomed to seeing bears in the wild, I hope you will allow me to correct a misconception in your 22 November article.You talked of the grizzly bear's ability to "scale trees". They, unlike the more common and wide-spread black bear, are not in the habit of doing so.

VM

When I was a child someone told me a grizzly bear could peer into a second story window, standing on his hind legs. I tormented my younger sister many a night by asking her if she saw the grizzly bear peek into our bedroom and stare at us. Such a mean streak.

I recently had a discussion with one of my patients about, of all things, bear hunting. Black bear are common in upstate New York where he hunts deer and bear in season. My coworker asked him what he does with the bear after he kills it.

"Do you eat the meat?"

"No, you don't eat bear meat. We hunt for the skin."

Now, I'm not a hunter. People who know me would be terrified at the thought of me shooting a gun. My depth perception is negligible and I am, for want of a better word, a klutz. The only nature trophies I have are ones I shot with a camera.

My Uncle Manny, who owned a farm up in Elmira, New York, explained deer hunting to me. He said the deer were overpopulated and some would starve to death in the winter if they weren't culled. My Aunt Emma cooked the venison and my uncle and cousins used most of the rest of the deer.

I still felt as though they were eating Bambi's mom, but it made some sense to me.

Just hunting an animal for the thrill of the kill doesn't make sense to me.

Sagittarius Horoscopes
Next Week
For the Week of Dec 1st, 2008 -- Rest up on Friday while the Moon in your 4th House of Roots keeps you close to the nest. A little cuddling with a comfortable person is more likely than a blazing romance then. On Saturday night, though, the Moon fires into your dramatic 5th House of Romance to put you in the spotlight and bring more pleasure into your life.

Poor Kanye! I really like his video, though :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVZX-W3vo9I

Maybe I'll rest up with him Friday night. We can watch The Dark Knight and sip some cervezas.

Saturday I'll be heading back to Woodstock with Ms. Helen, the Bee Lady. She just had the best jewelry show ever. And...I got my birthday present early. See how gorgeous it is. Helen is an amazing artist. She has a unique style and exquisite taste. She also does commissions.

I have succeeded in coercing, er...convincing another friend to get Beautiful Mutants (thanks for the inspiration mr. d :) for me for my birthday, too. This is going to be another awesome birthday celebration.

http://www.mutatovisual.com/beautifulmutants/gallery.html

Turquoise and silver necklace, I coveted the pearls and the earrings ~ Helen bastbeads@hotmail.com Happy Birthday to me!

Love Lockdown ~ sad Kanye West, very sad :(

Celebrating Loss

Now, we all know about the circle of life. I mean who hasn't watched The Lion King a hundred times. Oh, well if you hang around kids a certain age you have. In retrospect, that can be a tough movie for a child or an adult to watch. Simba loses his dad, Mufasa. I mean he dies! Hope that wasn't a spoiler for anyone. It is heart-wrenching, but it's an important part of the story. So it is with real life. Loss is an important part of that story, too.

Did you ever just sit and shout out a question to the universe? Sure you did. Me too. Yesterday after work I was sitting with a couple of friends and did just that. Then I let it go and just relaxed and hung out for a bit. When I arrived home I checked my e-mail. Lo and behold, there was a message. It held an answer I didn't expect. A real curve ball. Way out of my expectation, but an answer none the less. The solution to one situation lead to a complete change in my mindset. I'm still experiencing that free-fall sensation while coming to grips with a new version of reality. That really is what life is all about, though.

When I'm upset, confused, happy or sad I usually turn to music.

I found The Temptations singing I'm Losing You. When I watched their performance, which is amazing, it reminded me again that loss, though very painful at times, is necessary to create space for other things in life. So, with that in mind, I will try to celebrate loss as another beginning. Here they are!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leD9kTMWS9M

Picture ~ Monte Alban

Leporiphobia

Awww, Wrick! Now my fear of bunnies is over the top!

Ghosts by Ladytron

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yaEwcmrR4Q

It may have started way back with Monty Python

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcxKIJTb3Hg

Do You Suffer From Rabbit phobia?*

Symptoms of Rabbit Phobia:

breathlessness, excessive sweating, dry mouth, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly, a fear of dying, becoming mad or losing control, a sensation of detachment from reality or a full blown anxiety attack.

You are not the only one to suffer from this phobia. Most sufferers are surprised to learn that they are far from alone in this surprisingly common, although often unspoken, fear.

Rabbit phobia is an intense fear of something that poses no actual danger.

While adults with Rabbit phobia realize that these fears are irrabbitional, they often find that facing, or even thinking about facing, the feared situation brings on a panic attack or severe anxiety.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnZQk13pzfY


Believe me, I much prefer the company of my vampires. At least there, what you see is what you get. Coming down the home stretch of Nanowrimo!







*From 'Cure Your Phobia Instantly' (disclaimer on website)
Donny Darko Poster, somebody help me!!

Thanksgiving and Tasmanian Devils

This reminder from the lovely hippo, from Australia, over at http://www.nervousness.org/ tells us what we already know.

Every one needs someone to watch out for them sometimes, even if you are a Tasmanian Devil.

http://www.tassiedevilappeal.org/tda/landing.php

There are a gazillion things I am thankful for and today I'll be with my family remembering so many of them (perhaps after a glass of wine). One person holds a special place in our hearts.

He loved his family and he loved to cook, so Thanksgiving was right up his alley. My sweet Dad.

I hold his memory in my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgLHVi40Gc8&feature=related

Now, go eat your pie and have another glass of wine. You may drive one another a little nuts, but, that's what family does. Although we're spread out from Long Island to Brooklyn and Queens to Florida to California to Washington state we still manage to send hugs and kisses by phone or by net. Let us all count our blessings.

Tasmanian Devil ~ Wikipedia

http://avaaz.org/en/ We can do it!

Caresses and Cheese Steaks

Mene metsään
Mene vuorille
Mene kauas merelle
Anna yksinäisyyden hyväillä sinua
Kunnes ihosi on kyllin ohut
Niin ohut
Että sydämesi
Näkee sen läpi minut
Että minä se olin
Joka hyväilin,
Hyväilen sinua,
Mene, mene
Tommy Tabermann (1947- )

Go to the forest
Go to the mountains
Go to the far off sea
Let loneliness
Caress you
Until your skin is thin enough
So thin that your heart
Sees me though it
That I was the one
Who caressed you,
Who caresses you
Go, go.
(Tommy Tabermann)
English Translation: Börje Vähämäki

____________

This lovely poem was on Viggo Mortensen's Perceval Press' site today. Go Tommy!


My daughter and her boyfriend decided they were in the mood for a real Philly Cheese Steak, so off they drove into the sunset and then, into South Philadelphia. It's about five hours round trip.
Ah, the follies of youth...and oh, those yummy cheese steaks. You can get them with American cheese, provolone or Cheese Whiz. I'm a provolone type of girl, but they went for the classic Whiz, plus cheese fries. Burp! I had half my sandwich about midnight and the other half for lunch. I guess I better stick to salad for a few days. When's Thanksgiving? Oh well :) I haven't had an authentic cheese steak for about fifteen years, so what the heck. It was goooood!

Still working with the vampires. I even sketched a vampire Christmas card. Uh oh, is that over the top? Not too objective when it comes to nosferatu.

Thanks to Perceval Press and Christine & Pete...and Count Vlad

Empty Geno's wrapper

Obsession

Yes, I know I'm in trouble...again. We OCD types tend to get stuck on an idea and run with it and run and run, yeah. This can be good, we get a lot accomplished.

Sometimes, though, it just has to run its course. Good or bad, that's my reality.

Well, this is good, but I'm not sure how long it will run, so bear with me.

I had to get me some more Luther. I think it's because he sang about love and that's a good thing, too.

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

and some more...

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

A couple of my friends have voiced concerns regarding this particular obsession. Perhaps I have wandered over to the soft side? Not to worry! Still chugging along on my vampire tale, which includes the obvious plus a serial killer turned vampire and some decidedly otherworldly beasts.

I'm listening to Grimm Tales by Vox Arcana for atmosphere and inspiration. So old school gothy creepy. Ahh, just listen to the children of the night. I'm heading for a Tarot reading, in fact, I may even use my magic mirror tonight. That doesn't mean I won't be listening to Luther, too.

It's all about harmony and balance.

Smooth.

Sagittarius Horoscopes
(Nov 22 - Dec 21)
Next Week
For the Week of Nov 24th, 2008 -- The Moon in your sign on Friday can have you howling with delight. You are not in the mood to wait for love but will hunt for it no matter where you have to go. You definitely are not into staying home or doing the same old thing. Just apply a dash of caution to avoid going too far too fast with the wrong person.

Vickie, Your horoscopes for Monday, November 24, 2008
General Weekly Love Horoscope
A sense of optimism from Thursday's New Moon in Sagittarius lifts lovers' spirits and encourages an adventurous spirit. The pursuit of pleasure and romance is fueled with high hopes and a willingness to take risks. The chase should be plenty of fun and worth the effort even for those who don't get everything that they want.

Well, la dee da, it seems I'll be howling even if I'm not running with the pack this winter. There is something to be said for a cozy den. Maybe it's the Luther influence. Maybe it's the vampires.

Quien sabe? It's all good. Perhaps it's also good not to get everything you want. A touch of hunger keeps your senses sharp. Just ask the wolves.

Pic ~ West Coast Victorian, that house is some home!

Luther Revisited

Wild week at work.

Called 911 twice, every one's ok.

Mooned and full Monty'd by an 88 year old rascal.

The usual assortment of work related annoyances.

But, today is Friday.

We needed help getting on the right track this morning.

"Sandra, we need a little something to put us in the right frame of mind."

"Vick, we need Luther. Going in Circles."

Plugged into my trusty blog, there he was. It turned into an impromptu duet. We were so fine!

For the rest of the day, when things got a bit testy, we would just look at one another, or start to hum, or sing 'round and round I go' and it was all good again.

Thank you Luther and Sandra!

Pic ~ Mothra twins singing 'Going in Circles' :) Little known fact: their names are Sandra & Vickie, imagine that!