Category Archives: Diary

Retreat Recap And More

Happy very first birthday to my precious little kittens, who are kittens no more. Nix and Cricket officially enter Cathood today. (Thanks to everyone who fed all our fur children over the weekend, by the way!) They grow up so fast. *sniff* Remember when they were just handfuls of fluff?

I slept over twelve hours last night. In fact, over the past five days I’ve spent an alarming amount of time asleep. Okay, a couple of events down south were extremely energy-draining, which might explain the need to recuperate; but I seem to be careening to insomnia’s opposite extreme in general. (I oughtn’t complain. Paze mentioned last night that a parent is supposed to look not at what a toddler eats in a single meal, but rather at what s/he eats in a week. Perhaps I ought to address sleeping in a similar fashion?)

Neat stuff I picked up south of the border:

– a new thermal mug in stylish black and brushed metal. I’m using it now. My tea will take hours to cool off. Muah-hah-hah.

– a beautiful pale green light wool wrap with Celtic knotwork along the edges. My husband bought it for me while I was gazing at it, all open-mouthed.

– a funky flowy dark red top with three-quarter sleeves, a wide neckline, lacing and embroidery. I love it.

– a jingly anklet. I’ve always wanted one of these. (Yes, this and the previous acquisition point to the bohemian Gypsy streak buried somewhere deep in my soul, which rarely comes to light.)

– my very first MagLight. Whee!

– a stunning, stunning pendant cabochon of green amber in a simple silver setting. This was a mentor-gift from the protege assigned to me over the weekend. We do this to help new people integrate with the group, get to know people other than the ones with whom they travelled down, and to ease the culture-shock they might be feeling as a result of their first private festival. (My Tradition deliberately schedules this private event to get city-bound folk into Nature for at least four days, as well as to touch base with the physical part of the group mind and soul.) I was given this pendant by my protege on the first day of the event and it rendered me speechless. Such an extravagant gift for someone you’ve only just met! But he called it a heart-gift, from his to mine, and a thanks for being part of his new experience. I’m still overwhelmed, but part of the long hard road I’ve been on has addressed learning to accept gifts and compliments in the spirit in which they’re offered. In several ways and for several reasons this gift was appropriate, and I have no right to deny or diminish the love with which it was presented. I’d been feeling rather plain, too, since I’d left all my pendants at home, so I wore it all weekend.

– a clergy certificate. Did I mention that part yesterday? (Okay, okay, I didn’t come home with it, but it’s in the works. I’m proud of it. Let me be proud.)

– assorted candles, etc., as gifts.

After a day of re-adjusting at home, I find that I can’t quite walk a straight line (I appear to be listing to the left), and I still seem to be missing things I reach for. Camping isn’t supposed to relax you this much. I feel as if I’ve passed the point of relaxation and gone right to spaced out. It’s not a bad spaced out, though; it’s more like I’m in a mild dream state, which is infinitely preferable to the strung-out state I was in before we left. (Odd how you don’t realise how tense you were until you’re not any more.)

I should try to bottle this, for future pick-me-up situations.

Good Thoughts

Just got an e-mail from the acquisitions editor of that US publishing company confirming receipt of my CV and cover letter. She’ll be reviewing them within the next couple of days, and might contact me with more questions. She also thanked me for a prompt response.

Think good thoughts… think good thoughts…

Screaming

Pardon me while I hyperventilate – I just sent my CV off to a big US publisher for the position of consultant on a new line of New Age titles. I was recommended.

You can’t hear it, but I’m screaming inside.

It took me an hour to concoct a smooth, sleek, confident, I-Am-The-Uber-Consultant cover letter.

I hate cover letters.

This cover letter rocks.

Yes, I’m still screaming. I’m partly freaked, partly excited.

So if you could all cross your toes or light your candles or call on your personal concept of Deity, or cash in favours with whomever to help me keep sane, I’d appreciate it.

(And this literally on the same day that I wrote my first-ever resignation letter for the badly managed pseudo-magazine I was involved in. There is no such thing as synchronicity. None at all.)

As The Dust Settles

Well… I believe that the domestic upheaval has finally come to an end: the dust has settled, and all the scratches on the floor have been touched up with orange oil.

The original plans I had for today got tossed out the back door when the plumber showed up this morning to remove the radiators from our 1940s-era building. It was a two-step process: the plumber and our concierge had to move furniture with me so that the radiators were accessible, in order to cut the old pipes and unscrew them from the floors. Then I had to wait two hours for the scrap guys to come in with their dolly to remove the cast iron behemoths from where they lay scattered over my nice clean floors, one by one.

When it was all over, I surveyed the damage. Gaping holes in the walls where heat and time have eaten away the plaster and tar paper. Huge holes in the floor. Scratches along our lovely hardwood from stones in the dolly wheels and where they dragged the radiators to the dolly. Filthy footprints everywhere, and handprints to match.

Things have finally been set back to rights. I’ve swept up the dirt of countless past tenants from where it had been wedged behind the radiators (including rocks, balls, and a dog toy), washed the floors, wiped the walls, rearranged what furniture I could on my own. I found the cats in their creative hiding spots. (Did you know that the kittens have found a way to get into our box spring?) Then I had a shower to clean the grime off my hands and bare feet. Unfortunately, that’s not the end of it: somewhere between now and October, electric baseboard heaters have to be installed.

The good news is that while I was caught at home, I wrote a short story. At least I used my time well.

Recap

Hurrah, it’s finally raining! Which means, of course, that the mild sinus headache I’ve had all day has blossomed into what threatens to become a migraine.

So, the quick entry: Had a terrific evening of cider and relaxation with girlfriends at the local pub on Friday night; I ended up going home early because of a headache brought on by who knows what. Saturday I led an experimental meditation workshop on the weekend which by all acounts was a success. So successful, in fact, that instead of lunching together afterwards we all went our separate ways, drowsy and warm fuzzy-like. Sunday was wine and cheese with friends, and the joys of using the remote for my camera for the first time in four years (I kid you not).

I have an important idea brewing in my head concerning my future. It’s not quite fully formed yet; still vague. It seems important, though. I’ll let it incubate for a while longer.

Shaking It Up

After only an hour of sleep last night, I’ve been a bit stunned all day – just not quite with it.

So I did what I used to do when I needed a boost: I moved furniture around.

No, not everything; just my desk. I turned it 90 degrees (that’s a square for those with new natal chart knowledge) to the wall. It doesn’t stick out into the dining room as far as I thought it would, and I’m quite pleased. Besides, with it exposed like this, I’ll be less likely to let stuff pile up on it.

Oh, that’s not the only thing I did today; I took a couple of hours and sorted through about ninety-eight pages of notes on the trad-vs-eclectic Craft book I’ve been working on. In the end, after it sorting it into about seven different files of related topics, I realised that I’m going to just sit down and start writing it one day.