Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue

I was sincerely hoping to avoid one of these this election season. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards. So here comes the preface:

This is a political post. I am going to state my political opinions herein. I am going to likely offend someone. I'd apologize, but I'm entitled to my opinion. If you disagree with me, that is okay. I am all about civilized discussion. If you want to be a stubborn, bull-headed pain in my rear and call me names, I will not tolerate it. Period. So lets get the names out of the way. Yes, I am a liberal, left wing, tree-hugging, witchcraft practicing, let's install a solar power generator to power my stove to cook my organic food, gay flag waving huge heathen lesbian bleeding heart liberal. There. See. I know I am. Let's get on to the civilized discussion.

Right. Its this time of year, well, every couple of years, and every four years especially that I find myself really irritated with the public at large and with the people who are politically active in general.Part of it has to do with the fact that I can't watch television without seeing a political ad. Part of it is I can't sit down to dinner without some politician or PAC or whatever calling me to tell me about the evils of the particular candidate on THE OTHER SIDE. Part of it is I have flyers in my door, pamphlets in my mail and signs stuck in my yard...I don't want any of them. I really don't. Here's why-

I am a grown ass adult who is capable of researching, fact checking and making my own decision when it comes to electoral politics. I really can. What irritates me is that most people are not. Most people don't know anything about their candidates when they go to vote their straight party ticket. That's their choice. If they want to vote the party line, that's okay. God knows, most of the time I do. Most of the time.

I find myself irritated though, because people start spouting off party or political rhetoric without any regard to fact checking, truth, or sometimes how they even feel about the issue. It pisses me off. Its especially bad on facebook. Really bad there. And I sometimes wonder how people have the nerve to post the shit they do. It makes them look like complete assholes, and ignorant to boot.

Take the current election as a great example. Now most of us know that the laws are actually passed by congress. Its true. Check the constitution. Its there, I read it about five minutes ago. Now, I have the utmost respect for President Obama. I think he is a good man, and I think he has the potential to become a very great president. Here's the problem- both with him and Former Governor Romney- THEY DON'T WRITE THE LAWS. I love a good debate. I think tonight's on foreign policy should be interesting, because President's do have an effect on foreign policy. But nothing gets my goat like listening to them tell me all about their job's plans and their social security plans and their medicare plans and how they are going to address my rights as a woman when the truth of the matter is, all they can do is ask congress to work towards a certain goal, maybe even propose those goals, but in the end they only get to sign the legislation that they did not write because it had to be written and sponsored and voted through both the house and senate before they ever get a chance to make that bill law.

I'm going to say that again for emphasis. Congress makes the laws. Congress sponsors and writes the bills. Congress passes the bills. If congress does not pass the bill the president never gets to touch it. NOT ONCE.

So why all the fuss about the Presidential Election?

Truly, I do think its important, because presidents get to do things like nominate supreme court justices- and those guys are on the bench for life. And they do have an effect on my day to day life. Look at Roe v. Wade, look at Brown vs. Board of Education, look at them taking up the matter of gay marriage on the high court level. I want those judges to be on my team, voting my party ticket, thank you very much. Now, do I want them to pay attention to the letter of the law? You bet. But when it comes to political interest, the law is flexible, and so is its interpretation. I want a president in office whose going to choose someone who has my rights in mind.

The president gets to pass executive orders too. And those are important and little spoken of. But they should be. If you want to see how much a president does on a day to day basis, look at his executive orders. See what it takes for a person to work each day to help run the federal government. A productive president has a whole lot of EO's.

Presidents are influential. They set the tone of an administration. They negotiate and handle statesmanship duties, which I appreciate because believe me, some of our members of the legislature don't need to be talking to foreign ministers. They just don't. I know, too, that if a president disagrees with a bill, they can veto it, and that's a lot of power.

Here's the thing, though. NO ONE EVER GETS EXCITED ABOUT CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS.

I do. Believe me. Because the person that takes the senate and house of representative seats for my state is the person who is speaking with my voice. I want it to be my words coming out of their mouth. Right now, my senator is up for re-election. Her name is Clair McCaskill, and I honestly like what she does. I've followed her work, and her accomplishments since she was first elected to the federal government. I'm proud to have her from my state. She is currently running against a Republican named Todd Akin. You might remember him because of his little debacle on live television talking about pregnancy and rape. Obviously, I don't want this man speaking for me. If every single person who got fired up about presidential politics got fired up about their national and state legislative races, if they were truly informed, politics in the US would be wildly different. Mark me on that. Because the people who actually make the laws would be the ones we would be holding accountable. The people who make the laws would be the ones we are grilling about their policies and how they represent our choices and freedoms.

But outside of the obvious implications of the fact that most of the people I speak to about the elections have already formed their opinions, or don't care, or are so terribly misinformed about the political process in general there are some things that have been weighing heavily on my mind. And these are things, I will admit, that are probably only things that irritate me because I am a liberal. So bear that in mind. However, I'd like to point out:

The phrase "Gun Control" is not equivalent to "Lets Repeal the 2nd Amendment." I get really fucking sick of listening to people tell me the moment a democrat is elected that they're going to go bury their guns in their back yard so some crazy, mythic, black ops all Democrat mob can't come steal their guns away. Please. This sort of hysteria is the stuff that political campaigns dream of. They want you afraid and hysterical. Let me tell you something. I am a democrat. I own a gun. I own knives. I own all sorts of fun hunting toys that I will gladly make recreational use of and possibly make other use of if someone takes it upon themselves to cross my threshold with the intent to infringe on the autonomy of me or anyone in my family. You fucking bet I will. And I believe that's my right. BUT I also believe the state has the right to make sure that I am a sane, mentally competent person before they let someone sell me a gun. If they did, I would be a lot less likely to have to use my gun to shoot anything other than a squirrel, deer or paper target. And please, please spare me the drivel about regulating the types of guns being sold. You don't need an AK47 to shoot a deer. That weapon is designed to kill people in military combat. If you want one, join the fucking military. I'll wear a flag pin just for you. Seriously, I get so angry when people rant and rave about how we allow gang violence, and how cops get killed and how crime is on the rise and then they get all pissed off when someone suggests that maybe, just maybe, the socially responsible thing to do is make sure that gun shops don't hand out automatic weapons like they're candy on Halloween. I hate to say this, but you don't get it both ways.

Terrorism is not a political issue. Its not. Terrorism is shitty. It is. And it effects the way we run our country. But let me tell you something- there is no way to prepare for terrorism. There isn't. That's the point of terrorism. That they strike when you aren't looking, where you don't suspect, and the fear of them literally strikes terror into you. There is only one answer to "how do you feel about terrorism?" and that, if you are sane, is "terrorism is fucking awful." Here's what we should be talking about- diplomacy, international relations, how we are viewed by the rest of the world, who our allies are and how we deal with terrorists in a safe but humane way, because torture isn't an option. ( I assume if you're okay with torture, you've either stopped reading or are just plain punishing yourself. Or you're working up an awesome retort to my points) These things, my friends, are called foreign politics, and they're very important. And truthfully, I think most Americans forget that no, we aren't the only civilized country in the world. No, we aren't the only democracy. In fact, we're not even the best one. Sorry, that's the truth. I'm not saying I don't love living in the US. I do. But there are other places where the democratic process itself works better. I truly believe that the biggest problem with America is Americans. I get so sick of people saying shit like "We're America damn it. They should respect us." Why? Why? Because we make a lot of shit? Because we're a democracy? Because we have a huge GDP? Because our land mass is bigger? Fuck that. England is less than the size of my state and it has been and still is just as, if not more, powerful than the US is now. What do we do that makes us worth respecting. That's what I want to know. And frankly, none of the things that make us a country worth respecting have been election issues any time since I've been able to vote.  And truly, out of all of the "civilized" and "developed" countries- we're one of the youngest. We're still a teenager. And maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to take a leaf out of the books of some of the countries that have been around literally since Jesus was born. Just sayin'. (though maybe financial advice from Greece wouldn't be too sweet right now)

And Freedom. Sweet Jesus, Mary and Jospeh, I am so sick of hearing about freedom. Let me tell you why- the people I listen to who screech about freedom have every fucking freedom in the world. I am tired of Republicans telling me that I am trying to take away their liberties. Please, someone, explain to me how me being able to marry a woman, or have an abortion, or buy contraception, or get government assistance for health insurance takes away your freedom. Because I don't think it does. I think you disagree with it. Bully for you. You're allowed to. But let me explain: me having a freedom does not take away one of yours. You think gays shouldn't get married? Sweet. Don't be gay. Or if you are gay, don't get married. You think abortion is murder? Cool. Don't get one. You think that contraception is a form of abortion? Okay. Don't put your teenage daughter on the pill (and while you're at it, give her the abstinence talk, because you won't let her sit in on those family life films that explain about things like STDs) You are completely and totally free to do all of those things. Awesome. You not choosing to do those things is your right. It is also your right to think that I am going to hell if I am going out and having lesbian sex using a dental dam i picked up at a government clinic the week after I get an abortion.

Here's where my rights come in. Because I should be able to do or not do all of those things. I should. And the argument about whether or not I can do all of those things is almost always based in someone's religion. And its not mine. I promise you that. Because my religion says that if I am not harming someone, and it is for the purpose of my higher will, I can do it. And I know that's not the most common belief out there. Don't get me wrong. I like a lot of Christians. I think there's a huge bunch of moral, good ones out there. But the fact is, I don't want them using their faith to make laws I have to live by. Because its not my faith, and its against the law for them to dictate my moral beliefs. Period.

The problem is, everyone is so concerned about their "rights" but what they really mean is that they should not have to live in a world with people who have different ideas or moral beliefs than they do. That somehow, witnessing any other person doing something their religion or morals don't agree with diminishes the faith that they live by. Sorry folks, that means your religion sucks. And so does your faith. Because me, in my own corner, doing my own thing, has absolutely zero effect on you or your god or your religion. And if it does- if it truly does- maybe you should be having a talk with god, because one of the two of you got it wrong somewhere.

I'm all politic-ed out. Relieved, aren't you? I'll probably fire up again soon. But right now I have another debate to watch. Even if I have made up my mind. Its nice to be informed, right?

Constructive comments and thoughts below!
AGxx

I will wash the dishes, if you'll pay all the bills...

I've been a housewife for almost a month now. It seems funny to me how the days seem to run together. I would swear I only stopped working a couple of days ago...but time has a strange way of slipping away from me. Over the last few weeks I have had a lot of people asking me how I like being a housewife. It seems to be the first question everyone who doesn't see me on a near daily basis asks me.

The truth is, I actually am really enjoying myself. I have to be honest, though, I think a lot of people are under the mistaken impression that I lie around all day eating chocolates and reading romance novels. That's only about a quarter true. I have been reading a lot of romance novels, but that's more because I am looking into them as a form of research rather than because I lack things to do.

My house is certainly much cleaner than it has been in the last four years. It never ceases to amaze me how I find that the second I turn around there is something else to clean. I didn't realize I am a compulsive cleaner up till now. But the first thing I did when I found I had spare time was start cleaning. Deep cleaning, mind you. I've developed quite the routine that way. There's already a pattern I have in place. Deep clean the carpets every Thursday. Vacuum every other day. Dishes in the morning. Laundry when the basket in the bathroom fills up. Fold and put it away on  Thursday...

But I've been busy with other things too. My life seems like it is more full than it was before, but truly I think I am simply making time for the things I was cramming into my space four hours a night before. I've been working on things for the coven much more frequently, I've filed my poor book of shadows finally, and its almost up to date. I've been working on ritual more frequently, and finding there is always something new to do or to learn.

My writing has been taking up my time as well. November is almost upon me, and I am going to churn out an entire novel in that month. I've worked diligently to plan the outline of the new book and where I want to go with it. I've already looked into possible publishers and I am back on the horse looking for agents that I might be interested in. I know I'm going to find the right one this time, and its going to go more smoothly, because I know what to expect. I've also got that short piece I've been working on. Some days it goes really slow, and I'm proud of five sentences in half an hour. Other days I sit and find that an hour's worth of work is another chapter down. Its refreshing to have time to write and to enjoy doing it.

I love being able to make dinner and have things ready for the girls when they get home. I like planning my day ahead of time. Its nice to have activities to do in my spare time. I've started working on a quilt for Kitten in my spare time. I've almost got all of the squares cut out. Its only a matter of time before I start piecing them together. It will be a fun winter project.

I feel a lot more refreshed than I had, although I've had a bout of bad luck with my health. I had a headache for nearly a week solid and then I caught a nasty 24 hour bug that put me down hard in the last couple of days. That wasn't so much fun. But then, as some of my dear friends have pointed out, my body is likely getting rid of the tension caused by many years of stress held in and not dealt with. The nightmares I had the first week or so that I was off work were terrifying, but they're down to a trickle now. I'm not having them as much as I was, and I assume this is a result of me feeling more secure and much happier than I did.

Don't get me wrong, there are days where I feel terribly annoyed that I don't contribute financially to our household. It irritates me to think that I am being supported by my ladies. But then, they don't seem to have a problem with it. In fact, they encourage me to rest, to write, and to take my time getting back together before I even think about looking for another job. Even Kitten's mom, whom I assumed wouldn't like me not working has told me that she thinks its better that I'm home, and that if I want a job I should wait until something perfect comes along. That way I can do something I love.

In the meantime, I am finding life at home to be pleasant. I am able to do the things I like without feeling bad about it. It turns out we really aren't loosing that much money, so the girls aren't worried at all. Sometimes that bothers me too, thinking that maybe I worked all those years for nothing, because when it comes down to it, no one is really missing my income. But then, I learned something from all of those years, so its not like it was all for naught.

I keep wondering when I am going to find that I am bored, or unhappy, or wishing for something else to do with my life. But truly, after a month, I've discovered that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing with my life. I am making my home a richer, warmer place for my family. I am building on the strength of my friendships. I am working for the good of my coven, without feeling I am giving it half attention, or that I am somehow lacking in my abilities. I am writing, for the first time, whenever I feel like it. I am writing for the joy of it. I am writing because I want to make it my career. And that feels good. Really good.

For me, it took a lot of courage and a lot of trust to let go of my job and come home. I was terrified. I was uncertain. But I am glad now that I did it. There are, of course, some things I wish I could change. I miss some of my work friends. I miss the active feeling I had when I was working. I need to exercise or I'm going to put on weight, I am sure of it. But then, I have more things to do than I did before. I don't see my lack of job as something that leaves me bereft. It has given me the perspective I need to move forward with my life. The insomnia is creeping back in, and don't think its because I am sleeping late. Far from it. I get up earlier now than I ever did when I worked at Casa Bueno. But I find I am not so tired at night that my only option is to fall into bed and go to sleep. I find my mind wandering. I don't mind too much, though. It gives me a chance to think of new things, and to let myself dream of what I want.

For the first time in years, I don't go to bed wondering. I don't go to bed worrying. I just go to bed. And when sleep comes, I'm not afraid. Not of the night or the morning, or the day that comes after. I don't worry about what happened during the day. I merely pass pleasantly on to my dreams, which are their own sort of adventure.

Yes, I think I like this very much. Only time will tell...but then, I have all the time in the world. Don't I?

AGxx

Charge of the Crone

Its not often that I post something directly related to Wicca on my page. Yes, I discuss it, but coven rules rather tie my hands when it comes to actually talking about the goings on of our day to day workings. However, I was working on the Samhain Ritual yesterday and I was looking for a Charge of the Crone to do for the ritual rather than the usual Charge of the Goddess. Unfortunately, I did not find anything that I truly loved online, and my resources outside the internet proved a little dull as well. So I took it upon myself to write a charge that I loved, that I felt was appropriate to the holiday and to the spirit of the Great Lady whom it was about. I was rather pleased with my results, so I thought I would share them with you. I don't feel that me posting this will reveal any coven secrets. So.

Hear Ye the words of the Crone, the dark goddess eternal, who has been called Cerridwen, Hecate, Inari, Morrigan, Kali, Grandmother, Wise Woman and by many other names:

Come my children through the dark of night and seek me. Though my face be shrouded in the veil of the new moon, my power wanes not. I am the wise woman, who guides you through your hardships and strife, the great midwife of your transformation.

Though you may face your greatest terrors, fear me not, for I bring you that which you need- for I am the source of knowledge eternal and the keeper of all secrets. And these be my gifts unto thee: strength and courage, wisdom through experience, and the excitement and freedom of lessons learned.

Seek these within thyself and there you shall find me also. Surrender your fear and ignorance- with my shining sickle I shall cut them away. Then shall you learn compassion and love and find completion of spirit. I wait for you to call to me to reveal the lessons within thyself- for behold! I am the balance of the scales of light and dark, the interim of life and death. From me all things dance forth and it is I who awaits you at the end of the spiral!

It probably needs a little more work, but I am quite happy with what I was able to do. It makes me feel wonderful to be finally connecting to this aspect of the Goddess, because she is possibly the most misunderstood and the most feared of all her aspects. To me, she has always seemed beautiful, and very open and welcoming. Maybe growing up with a house full of strong women has caused me to be less afraid of them, and more admiring. I like a woman who can take charge, who has great mystery and power within her. Having been forced to face the darker aspects of myself, having grown the way I have as a woman and as a witch, I suppose it is no shock to me that I identify with the Crone aspect more than others. 

I feel very blessed to have been able to have written something that I feel is a lasting tribute to one of the mot beautiful parts of my beliefs. 

I hope you enjoyed it. 

AGxx

PS- any visitors, I am happy to allow you to use my work, however, in print, I would appreciate that you contact me first, via email, to obtain permission. Within your own personal work, of course feel free to make use of it. Bright Blessings to you.

Roll Your Leg Over and Do It Again

We're back from the Renaissance Festival and we had a fantastic time.

We left on Saturday afternoon and arrived in KC with no hiccups around five thirty or so. We got checked in to our lovely hotel and spent the first couple hours in the hotel pool enjoying a swim and a soak in the hot tub. It was nice. We also discovered there was a Dave and Buster's next to our hotel, and we spent the evening there. It was a good time. I'd never been to one before. For those of you who haven't been, its a giant restaurant with a huge video arcade in it. It was so much fun. We really loved it. We spent the rest of the evening doing what we always do on vacation when we have time to pass- watching the Food Network on our television.

We were up bright and early on Sunday, and we were so cold! The temperature at eight am was only thirty degrees. We agreed we were going to wait to wear our costumes on Monday when the weather was warmer. I'm glad we did. We took the hotel shuttle to the festival and arrived a few minutes after the gates opened.

There was so much to see! There were shops everywhere with all sorts of things to look at, and so many things I wanted to buy I took to getting the cards of all the artisans so I can hit up their websites at my leisure. I found someone who makes hand made straw besoms! I can't find those anywhere. They were beautiful and I even found a broom with a spider carved on the handle. I am probably going to order one of those pretty soon.

We watched the early morning joust, which wasn't so much a joust as a game of skill. We loved it though. The baddie, Judas the Unforgiven, totally whipped the butt of the emcee, a Lady Victoria, while the challenger Lord Daniel looked on. Afterwards, there was an invitation to go see the afternoon joust, where there would be actual jousting and swordplay in armor. We caught part of it as we were walking by later, and it looked really nice. I must admit though, I'm going to have to sit on the baddie's side next time. He was seriously funny, and I wanted to be cheering for him. He was great.

We also chanced upon a group of Fairies and Fauns dancing around a maypole in the center of town. It was awesome. No, no this wasn't one of those seriously historically accurate fairs. I loved it though. And truly, the fairies and the fauns were fantastic. I was in love with one of the fauns, he was a little bigger than all of the rest, and he was so cute and cuddly and his hooves were huge! We got to see him the next day, and I was so bitter, because when he came to talk and play with us, fairies in tow, I was so tongue tied and shy I couldn't say a thing! I loved the maypole though, and told Kitten I wanted one of those for our house next spring. She snickered and said "Yeah, right."

We went up front to get tickets to the pub crawl, and laughed our butts off (not for the last time over the weekend) when the sweet little lady told us she was worried they would not let Oscelot into the pub crawl with us, wanting to know if we had someone to watch him while we drank. When we explained that SHE was 25, the lady was so mortified. We told her it was okay. The ticket girl talked mead with us, and was even kind enough to tell us where some hidden port-a-priveys were just outside the gate. I used those almost exclusively after that. No line, and they were handicapped, so they were huge!

It seemed almost too soon that we had to head off to our first event, the Pirates Pub Crawl. When we got there I ran into my Aunt Dancer, and it was so nice to see her. She and her husband had to leave so they didn't get to join us. We ended up headed off to a pub called "The Groggy Starfish" and meeting The Amazing Ackbar and Sir Richard, our pub crawl guides. We learned some lovely drinking songs and got our commemorative Pub Crawl beer mugs (which were beautiful). We filled up our mugs at the first pub and had a grand time.  We learned the Charlie Mopps song, which we ended up singing a lot of other places too during the weekend:

A long time ago, way  back in histo-  ry,
When all there was to drink was  nothin' but cups of  tea,
A-  long came a man by the  name of Charlie  Mopps,
And he invented the wonderful drink, and he  made it out of  hops.
Chorus:
Hey! He must have been an admiral, a  sultan or a  king,
And to his praises  we shall always  sing;
 Look at what he's done for us, he's  filled us up with  cheer,
Lord, bless Charlie Mopps, the  man who invented...
Beer, beer, beer,  tiddley  beer, beer, beer...

That's the first line anyway.

There was a moment of hilarity when one of the guy's in the pub crawl's phone went off and he answered it. Ackbar grabbed it and shouted into it "Hey- he's at a pub crawl! Call him back!" and handed back to the guy. "Sorry about your magic box sir," he said sincerely. I was laughing so hard.

We headed off next to the Canterbury Public House (a two story open air public house!) and filled up our mugs again. We walked the whole way at the back of the crawl with Richard, who was sweet as pie and full of all sorts of great information. He was even kind enough to offer us some of his blueberry bagel, which put us all in a good humor. When we got there the line was amazingly long, so we ended up chatting to some guys in period garb while we waited. One of them, Kilts, was generous enough to offer me some Scotch from his flask, and we became instant friends. It was a good time. Ackbar called me out from the crowd to do a magic trick with an adorable Blue Devil's fan named Nate. We drew two tarot cards (the Empress and the Chariot) and Ackbar told me I'm a bit bossy, even on the drive to get there- he's right. I'm the navigator. But the girls were in stitches while he mimicked me "No! Turn right," he cried in a fair imitation of my voice "Do it my way! Do you want to end up lost? We're running behind!" I laughed too, honestly. Then he did a neat trick where I chose two more cards (Judgement and Death) and he picked them out of a lineup of cards. It was impressive. Even more impressive when he told the group that I had recently chosen to let a friend go because they disagreed about their view of me as a person, and I am too strong minded to put up with that kind of thing. If it weren't for the fact that I'm already into divination, I would have been frightened. I was sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to him about his divination/magic trick. That was cool. We sang another rowdy pub song and giggled the whole time.

This time we did "Roll Your Leg Over" and its pretty well a snarky lyric, to which the group replies in chorus :"Roll your leg over, roll your leg over, roll your leg over and do it again!"

Some the verses included:

If all the young ladies were bells in a tower, I'd be the clapper and bang one each hour...
If all the young ladies were bricks in a pile, then I'd be a mason and lay them in style...
If all the young ladies were drops in the ocean, I'd be the waves and I'd show them the motion...

You get the idea. I've heard a rumor there's a wench version that's just as dirty and about men...

We finished our beers and headed on to the Pirates Pub and filled our mugs one more time. To be honest, I got distracted here, because between Kilts, a group of five at our table, and the noise of the pub  I missed a lot of the singing this time around. I did have to take Kilts with me to escort to the privy up the road, and then he got out his pipe and smoked with Kitten and I. We shared beers and scotch and found that he was also headed to The Royal Smoker afterwards, like we were. We convinced the rest of our table to join us, and after about a half hour or so, the mass of us trooped off to the Royal Hall to join the Royal Smoker.

It was, without doubt, the best deal we had all weekend. We paid ten bucks each and when we got in we received tickets for a cigar each and two tickets for either beer or sodas. We waved to the rest of our group and we settle in, (I spotted Richard from the pub crawl!) and ordered our beers. They served us pretzels and some very nice cheeses and fruits and what proceeded was the naughtiest, filthiest, bawdiest show I've ever seen. There were dirty pirate songs, belly dancers and filthy wenches. The waitress wenches all had bosoms up to our eyes and you tipped into them! I was thankful I'd been to enough gentlemen's clubs not to stare. While were were there I had to run to the privy again (broke the seal!) and got kisses from Richard at the door. When I came back one of the guys behind me noticed one of my tattoos and asked me to translate the Arabic for him. I asked him what part of the Middle East he served in, and I ended up having a spectacular conversation with him. He was an interesting, honest, nice guy and  was in the same division as my Grandfather! (101st airborne) He handed me his card I'm planning on getting in touch with him.

After, we switched numbers with Kilts and he promised to meet us up the next day. We went and enjoyed the fair a bit longer and then bought some turkey legs (three for the price of one!!!) and I called the hotel shuttle. They had neglected to tell us the shuttle went off at 4 and it was 7! We ended up getting a cab, and bless him, our cabbie was delightful.

More food in the hotel room, more turkey, more Food Network and we passed out early after drinking a LOT of water (Kitten and Oscelot were in at 7 beers each- I had the good sense to stop at three, plus two shots of scotch and a cheery cordial rum someone offered me) and we went to bed.

Up early again and Kilts met us for breakfast and then giggled while he watched me struggle into my dress. It takes three people to get me into it. We drove to the festival this time and Kilts was nice enough to show us the back gate where all the "Rennies" park. MUCH easier to get in and out of, and way shorter a walk too.

We spent most of day two shopping and looking at neat things. I found this puppet maker who does these things that sit on your shoulder and look like cat/dragons and they move their heads and arch their necks into caresses when the owner pulls their strings. Its pretty cool. Go look at the pictures. They're beautiful.  I found the brooms. We looked at a lot of clothes. There was a lot more bowing and scraping that day. We were dressed as nobility, and as such, the actors were much friendlier. I was delighted when I had three women ask me where I bought my dress. I caught people taking covert pictures of us on several occasions. Even Queen Katherine herself stopped in the middle of the parade to compliment my family on their "beautiful obeisances and breathtaking garb." Considering her dress was without doubt one of the most magnificent things I saw all weekend, I was pleased.

We went to the Feast of Fools for lunch. It was a great show with all of the best performers from the festival. It was great to see the gypsies, the Jolly Rogers, some of the bands and singers, plus the actors doing some awesome work and telling some great jokes and limericks. Honestly, I think my response for the rest of my life when someone says "I have a joke" or "I have a limerick" is to shout back "A Toast!!!" and "A Limerick!!!" 

We also took time to go see The Washer Well Wench Show. That was probably one of my favorite moments all weekend. If you go to YouTube and search them, you can find them all over the Ren Fair circuit. They're amazing. I've never seen a group draw such a big crowd or get people to scream the way they do. And they're funny! I really loved their show. I caught moments of it the day before and we were determined to see it again! It was such a nice time that I kept an eye on the show when we were back at the Groggy Starfish later in the afternoon.

We watched a lot more shows the second day and we wandered around a lot. I was so bitter, we were approached by another cast member at the end of the day, and he complimented us on our garb. He also invited us to tell our story. Our beautiful, well-researched story that we practiced for the entire trip down! Our names, our home, our family history! I researched the provinces and duchies in France! Oh, all of it! And I could barely remember how to properly introduce ourselves. I felt like a moron. And of course, it was the newly elevated Lord Castille, who was performing admirably in a dueling show earlier in the day. I had been entranced by him. And of course, I stutter like a fool and wanted to yell "Wait! Come back!" and talk some more. And ask him where he got his clothes, because they made me drool. Drat my own shyness!

I can't properly express all the fun stuff we got to do...not without boring you to death. That's some of the highlights, that's for sure.

I'll say this- I learned that it is very hard to go to the bathroom in a huge dress. Kitten had to follow me into all of the handicap privies and help me hold up my dress so I could go. This was made worse by the fact that the stalls were tiny. Even worse by the fact that there were wood chips all over the ground and they were in the train of my dress and eventually my tights and my underwear and whatever...it was awkward.

But we did have a nice time at the festival.

I think that's about it for now. I'm sure I'll think of more later.

Fare Thee Well
AGxx

Don't You Think Every Kitten Figures Out How To Get Down, Whether Or Not You Ever Show Up?

Hi friends. Today is day three of me being a housewife and I think its finally becoming real for me.

Over the past two days I have thrown myself into being at home. I've cleaned so much I am not sure there's too much left to clean (except the kitchen and the laundry room...) and I love it. Monday I got up and shampooed my carpets, I cleaned the baseboards and curtains in my living room. I dusted and vacuumed like a madwoman. I did the same to my bedroom and bathroom yesterday. Yeah, the house is lovely right now.

Today I went to breakfast with my mom. I have a lunch date with Kitten's Mom soon. I've got all kinds of activities planned. I feel good. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to settle in. I was worried I would be unhappy, but truthfully, I feel better than I have in a long time. I love being at home, planning meals and cleaning up. I like having projects to work on. Next weekend I am going to repaint my living room and cover my couch and armchair so they look lighter and more delicate.  I've got big plans for my writing, and things are clipping along well. I'm making plans for November, which is National Novel Writing Month. Its going to be a good time.

Last night I went to dinner at Sakura's house and ate with his family. I had such a nice time. Sakura's mom is going to go with me sometime in the next couple of weeks and hit the newly remodeled Fabric Store of Doom so we can pick out curtains, literally. We're both going to be making some soon. I think she might show me how to use my sewing machine, which would be a lifesaver.

I had my first post-work, work related dream on Monday night. I dreamed I was stuck at work and it was my last day. The clock was stuck at 12:30 and the lunch rush went on for hours. I couldn't get away. Worse, every person I've ever worked with that made me feel inadequate was part of the crew. A few of my exes and former friends made appearances too, all of them telling me I am lazy, invaluable and in general a terrible human being.

Honestly, I was expecting to have dreams about work. I was. But I didn't really recognize until now the issues I had tied up in my workplace. I hadn't realized how truly unhappy and stressed I was until now. Now I am feeling much better about my life, and I'm in no hurry to rush into employment again. Even Kitten's mom told me to wait and to make sure I was ready, and even when I was ready to not go back to work unless it was something that would give me joy.

Its dawning on me now what a huge step I took and how much better off I am. I'm truly happy.

That's all I really had to say.

AGxx