Category Archives: Spirituality

Hmm

Yesterday was one of those frustrating days where I spent hours and hours editing three different projects, and only finished one of them. I hate days like that; I feel like I’ve accomplished absolutely nothing. Yeah, yeah; I know that I invested x hours of work that brought me that much closer to the finish line; but I didn’t hit that finish line. So I’m goal-oriented. Sue me.

I re-read Balsamic Moon last night. Anything that makes me laugh out loud at parts has definite potential. I’d done my first edit, which usually consists of spelling and prettifying the obviously awkward prose, and as usual, I missed things which I’ll have to pick up on the second edit which should be late this month or early next month. It needs a bit of expansion, and a fleshed-out ending as opposed to the current two-page final chapter and single page of summarized postscript (hey, it was the evening of November 30, and I hated the novel by that point; I passed 50K and that was all that counted at the time), but all in all, it’s a solid piece of work with definite potential.

I’ve discovered that lately, all I want to read is occult-based fiction, and there’s not a heck of a lot out there that I haven’t already read. The obvious answer is that I’ll just have to write it, which is fine, as I’ve already started with my two NaNo novels. And the more published crap that I read, the more hope I have that my stuff is marketable. The dreck out there is really lowering the bar.

The kittens are bouncing off walls this morning. It’s a full moon tomorrow; evidently they’re celebrating early!

Potpourri

We finally saw Matrix Revolutions, and all the Pagans in the back row of the theatre sort of nodded and understood why masses of people Just Don’t Get It: it’s about cycles, not about a linear storyline. In every ending, there is a beginning. The story was told in order to show us how a cycle can function without being a carbon copy of the previous (or successive) cycle. Of course, because the protagonist died, folks are confused – the Wachowski Brothers didn’t provide a nicely gift-wrapped Happy Ending (TM) to the Hollywood pap-fed masses. Granted, the film can’t stand on its own; then again, it wasn’t originally designed to be a film unto itself, so I don’t count that against it. I’ll be very interested in seeing all three installments in a row when Revolutions comes out on DVD, in order to get the proper overarching storytelling flow. The film felt very different from the previous two in the trilogy, most likely due to the emphasis on story as opposed to action. It was, if you’ll forgive me, a more human story. The men in our party were suitably impressed by the King Arthur/barge send-off for Neo as he Returned to the Source (which I missed, somehow – odd for me. But then, a burning ship sort of burial isn’t my personal cup of tea. I think it’s a guy thing.) Had there been four queens in attendance, I’m sure I would have seen it. No, really.

Teaching didn’t really pause for the holidays due to the mid-week placement of the civic holiday. Yesterday’s class on animal energies included a beautifully behaved Great Dane, a flamepoint Siamese, a corn snake and a fat-tail gecko. Nox, the corn snake, got extra cuddles from me after his turn at show and tell, and after wrapping himself around my waist for a while slipped into the hood of my cardigan for an hour of serious napping. There’s something remarkably smugness-inducing about walking around a store knowing that there’s a four-foot snake curled up between your shoulderblades and no one else is aware of it.

The weekend ended with a nice relaxed dinner with Scarlet and Skippy, and giving holiday love to the many cats who were boarding at the vet over the vacation period. An excellent weekend, all around.

Ego Boost

If ever I needed assurance that I can write a book, the experience of editing professional authors’ work is convincing me of it. Ye gods.

And I think my cats did some odd sort of “change the rain into snow” spell. Two of them fell behind one of my short bookcases this afternoon, at different times. I am convinced that it was no accident, but arcane action of some nature.

Go Me

I’ve had an excellent weekend all around: teaching, gathering with friends, ritual, and so forth. Artistically I have triumphed, but you’ll hear about all of that when I have visual proof for you. Not only have I triumphed, I’ve indirectly created the potential for future fun gifts, which is just fine with me.

And, as the cherry on top of the whole weekend, I have a gently used laserjet printer waiting for me in Oakville. Hurrah!

For Your Collection of Chiroptera, May We Suggest…

I was just Googling for a display case, and I found an eBay store that specialises in them. Terrific! I called their listing up, and one of the first things I read as the text appears is Bat Display Case: Holds 6 Bats.

Maybe it’s the witch in me, but I immediately envisioned a display case with six bats hanging upside down inside it, blinking through the glass.

Then, of course, the image finally loaded, and with vague disappointment I saw six baseball bats lying horizontally on a rack.

It just seems so… prosaic. I liked my idea of a bat display case better.

NaNo 2003, Day 30

Final word count of Balsamic Moon: 50,215

I thank the Goddess that tomorrow is December.

Freaky Coincidence Number One: I typed the final three words of my novel to the loud, triumphant, sweeping final bar of Howard Shore’s Fellowship of the Ring score. There’s nothing like the soundtrack to your life displaying excellent timing.

Freaky Coincidence Number Two: November 30th just so happens to be the ancient Roman festival of Hecate of the Crossroads. Synchronicity, nothing.

This novel will just have to be dedicated to Hecate, something along the lines of:

To Hecate
Without whom none of this would have happened.
Literally.

Fleeting

Not dead. Busy.

Honest. Majorly successful concert on Saturday night, teaching, writing reviews for a deadline, working with authors for another deadline, writing a novel for a deadline, descending to the Underworld with some good friends for a very special occasion; my agenda is just chock-full.

You all might get a detailed update, but maybe not.

Bye!