Light up a candle, show me the way.

I had a very, very good day today. I spent it with mirroreyes, snugglyevil and danorsong, trawling Fabric Row for ideas and-- surprise-- fabric. I got some absolutely stunning hand-painted Indian silk for a corset, and some contrasting plain silk for a skirt to go with it. It'll be very Springlike and beautiful. I also, for the first time in perhaps two months, stepped into a supermarket. I meant to spend no more than $50. That was an idle dream. Worse, I cracked open an 18lb bag of dog food trying to get it onto the belt-- it spilled everywhere, and all I can think is what a waste. I should have asked if I could at least donate it to a shelter.

Returning home, mirroreyes, snugglyevil and I finished an outstanding Black Watch tartan corset in a very elegant English wool for my friend Stacey, who arrived with the thought of picking up her new baby and then going clubbing for a while. We wound up chatting and being girly til past 1am. Finally, mirroreyes made up her bed on the floor, Stacey and snugglyevil went their separate ways, and I emptied Clue for the night.

But before bed, mirroreyes asked me for a tarot reading. I can't remember when I did one last-- it's been months at least. But I lit a candle, and did a Celtic Cross spread with my Goddess deck. I'd forgotten how soothing and meditative tarot reading can be. There's a definite rhythm and flow to a good reading, and a sense that I'm being led through a puzzle to an interpretation-- that there's something I'm supposed to be saying. I hope I got it right.

Afterwards, while mirroreyes got ready for sleep, I started a reading for myself: something I know I haven't done in years. I have no idea why I've avoided self-reading. It's not as if a pack of cards bit me in my youth. But I went back to my first deck, made my request, and laid the spread. Three aces, two kings, and a queen. Obviously, something I'm very much supposed to know. It was very relaxing, as well, and after a frustrating few days, that's always welcome.

Nice house. But you're still an asshole.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=510161&in_page_id=1770

You have to go look at these photos. Go. I'll wait.











Can you believe that?

Still powerful.

In September of 2001, someone from a club put up a flash video of VNV Nation's "Forsaken" with photos of everything that had just happened. The song, which had always been incredibly powerful to me, became something more like a sledgehammer.

I haven't listened to it in a while, but just did a minute ago. It's still...about thisclose to overwhelming. A few weeks ago, I sat beside my long-lost cousin Carl and heard him talk about what had happened to him that day. I kept seeing, in my head, the photo "The Falling Man," as he told us. He was in the shower when the first tower fell. He wondered what his upstairs neighbours were doing, he said. I'm guessing that was his last normal thought for a long, long time. His apartment building was heavily damaged. He lost everything. The Red Cross evacuated him-- relocating him over to Jersey for months. He couldn't continue with his job as an accountant-- he found himself unable to concentrate on numbers-- and had to go for retraining. He dropped off the radar completely for years, trying to work through his PTSD. Thank G-d he got a lot of help, and found a wonderful new boyfriend. It was his boyfriend, Juan, who pushed him over and over again to contact us again-- but that still took years.

Anyway, I don't know if it's that "Forsaken" is still powerful, or has just become moreso again since talking to Carl.

So...did I miss something?

Meh. What can I say? I just never got into baseball. Sorry.