Wow, the screen my dad bought once upon a time to cut down on the glare from the monitor is so dirty I actually have trouble seeing when it's not dark in the room. Maybe I should clean it? Like how I should really clean my room?

*snorts at the absurd thought*

Me and Mal went grocery shopping last night. For the first time since she became of age, she bought alcohol (Mike's Hard Lemonade, if you're wondering). Gave her a hard time about it the entire time we were in the store, mostly making fun of her, but I understand that she drinks a little more than I do (rarely as opposed to never). The lady at the checkout didn't even check her ID, though. Doesn't she know that's just making her ripe for a government sting operation??

And for some reason I had a dream that one of my dragon statues broke.

Today and yesterday off, and tomorrow I don't go to work until four. Nice little break, I think. Been watching movies- bought a few, too; Iron Man, The Forbidden Kingdom, and Moonstruck.

*pauses* I at least should organize my books. If nothing else (usually the case).

You wanna know something else? I ate turkey on Thanksgiving. Both places I ate it have very good cooks, and I did so without so much as batting an eye (once I was sure no one was going to sit on me for trying). It was turkey. And you know something else? I honestly don't think I'm going to eat meat again. I know, the vegetarian thing should have stopped me in the first place, but for the past year and odd months I've been craving a burger or something similar. So finally I relented, and now? Now I'm... I think it was because it tasted like meat, and not something I haven't had in over a year.

It shouldn't be that hard to explain. The stuffing and potatoes were awesome, but I wasn't impressed with what I've been "missing".

Lot of stuff on my mind. Lot of stuff, stemming from one thing; one subject, and almost nothing else. It's kind of annoying, and I dislike it even more when I get pieces of my songs/lyrical poetry stuck in my head from it.

So, off I go, to watch more movies, play some more video games, and generally enjoy what I have left of my days to myself. Ciao!

He sits and waits and watches
Sometimes his eyes fall upon the door
There are no lovely creatures
His eyes trail along the floor
Sometimes, something walks past
Shadows of human bones
He neither moves nor watches
His eyes upon the door
He can feel himself cracking
Cleaning messes from the floor
Should the bones know how to stare?
His eyes retreat upon the door

Is it passion or obsession
This feeling in his fingertips
If you sit and stare in place
You can watch him fold in half
It was just a face, a penciled face
The expression changing in his eyes
He was drawn in such a strange style

They approach him in earnest
These shadows searching for human souls
He denies them any place or sway
Simply serves and sits and stays
Once, he let one have a part
The smallest split of time
His cracked skin began to bleed
Bandages numb his blackened spine
Now he watches, sits and waits
For the lovely creature he's prayed
Only bones and shadows still
Becoming a mark upon the wall

Is it passion or obsession
This feeling in his fingertips
If you sit and stare in place
You can watch him fold in half
It was just a face, a penciled face
The expression changing in his eyes
He was drawn in such a strange style

-200? crimsontwilight

Sorry for not updating yesterday, got caught up in a lengthy, magical and inspiring conversation that lasted for quite some time. Here is the next installment in my Pluto series; hope you enjoy. Should be back tomorrow with Part 4. I know I said you could see the Venus and Jupiter in the sky earlier in the week but there was a brief window before the cloud cover. Today is a really clear night and you can still see them Venus is the bright, twinkly beautiful one on the left and Jupiter is the grand orangey on on the right. Magnificent

Nels


In this articles I am going to look at both the symbolism of Pluto in each sign and how that influenced our history but also the relationship between Pluto and Uranus. This is because during Pluto’s journey through Capricorn there are going to be numerous aspects between rebellious Uranus and destructive Pluto. So the more we look at what has happened in the past the more we shall be able to predict in the coming decades.

Cancer is Capricorn’s opposite sign, so since 1914 Pluto has gone half way around the zodiac. Cancer can be associated with such themes as home, family and the security that these bring. Shockingly the First World War started the same year that Pluto entered Cancer! The world had never experienced a war like this before, previously most wars had been honourable affairs fought on battlefields. Now the whole world was at risk and people were understandably very scared, they did not feel secure even on home turf. This war of course effected a whole generation of people, many of them growing up without fathers who had died in battle, this was a time during which there were many women and very few men around. During the period between 1932 and 1934 there were a series of square (90 degree) aspects between Uranus and Pluto, there is a sense of social upheaval, rioting and inventiveness when these two get together and this can be seen in what was going on during this time span. The most notable in my opinion was the climax of the prohibition of alcohol in America; this spanned from 1920 to 1933. This involves both Uranus and Pluto themes beautifully; firstly the American government were attempting to cleanse (Pluto) their country (Cancer) of alcohol and therefore social deviance (Uranus), all this did was exacerbate the situation (square) of drinking and created a whole new underground (Pluto) scene of social networks and communities (Uranus) and a massive rise in organised crime(Pluto). Gangsters would smuggle in the prohibited alcohol from either the Caribbean or Canada although much of the “hooch” was homemade. Secret clubs and bars called speakeasies popped up all over the country where people would drink heavily and dance to deviant forms of music such as Jazz. This must have given American’s a real sense of brotherhood and social upheaval and “?sticking one to the man ?”. On the other side of the coin; during this time Hitler became chancellor of Germany and therefore the radical yet fascist Nazi party came into power. Gross social experiments began with the first concentration camps being introduced in 1933, his plan was set in place for the eradication of certain races (families). This leads directly on to Pluto moving into Leo but it may also be worth mentioning that 1932 was the year that scientists first split the atom, taking the inventiveness of Uranus and fusing it with the “tiny object, big effect” theme of Pluto.



Pluto finally moved into Leo in 1939, again shockingly, the Second World War began in the same year! The sign Leo is often associated with power, dominance or pride. Perhaps it was Hitler’s arrogance that led him to believe he could rule and dominate the world and obtain total power. This war saw some of the most devastating occurrences in human history with millions dead, acts of genocide and the horrific creation and use of the atom bomb, I shall not dwell too long on this passage of history. Pluto is said to be exalted in Leo, which is astrological jargon for “at home”, Pluto in Leo was not all bad. After the war the United Nations was formed under Pluto’s passage through this authoritative sign that also has leadership qualities. Technology also advanced greatly during this period and it has been noted that many computer specialists have a strong Leo Pluto in their charts.



Pluto finally entered Virgo in 1958, but had been travelling in and out since 1956. Virgo is an intellectual and mental sign, which explains the “war” that broke out when Pluto entered it; the space race. This was also synonymous with the “cold war” which was a war more of propaganda, technology and political influence than of bloodshed and battlefields, an intellectual war rather than a physical one. Within 3 days of Pluto entering Virgo in August 1957 Russia launched the first “intercontinental ballistic missile” which is regarded as the beginning of the space race. Wikipedia states that the space race “lasted roughly from 1957 to 1975.” Pluto left Virgo in 1972. This of course, was not what the time span between 57 and 72 was most remembered for, but again I am going to have to bring Uranus into the picture for the full story. Uranus was also in Virgo at around this time from around 61-68 this obviously coincides with one of the most revered social, sexual revolutions of the century and the rise of the hippy. There was an air of unrest that had been building throughout the decade with particular frustration surrounding racial and sexual equality and also unjust wars. The introduction of the contraceptive pill in the early 60s also sparked a sexual revolution and the discovery of LSD increased use of psychedelic drugs which also become synonymous with this era. This was all part of a counter-culture that spread across much of the world where the younger generation criticized their predecessors for their values and narrow view points, removed themselves from mainstream and spoke out about conservatism and materialism. Or as many of us know it as; the swinging sixties! Uranus and Pluto made a series of three conjunctions (being in the exact same point in the zodiac) between 65 and 66. Amongst some of the most dramatic events over these two years were; The cultural revolution in China, the LA race riotsand demonstrations against the Vietnam War. What is important about the conjunction (between Uranus and Pluto) is that it is the beginning of a new cycle, the next major phase in this cycle will unfold over the next decade or so (2010-2015).



Pluto finally moved into relationship orientated Libra in 1972. Although the sexual revolution started in the 60s, because sexual taboos had been (are) so ingrained into culture, it still continued way into the 70s, types of relationships and sexuality were still being experimented with. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders”, homosexuality was no longer considered a mental disorder by the authorities. This also came with a sharp up rise in sodomy and homosexuality being decriminalised or legalised in many countries and states and many gay rights acts being passed. 1972 was also the year to see Sweden make sex change legal and even provide free hormone therapy. We also see the peak in divorce rate in the western world in the mid-70s implying that traditional forms of relationships and life-long monogamy was on the down turn.



Pluto entered its ruling sign Scorpio in 83/84, Scorpio much like Pluto can be associated with sex, death, darkness and mystery. It was around the same time that Pluto entered Scorpio that HIV/AIDS was starting to be realised as a serious threat to the world and not just a homosexual related disease, AIDS was first given its name in 1982. The period of the 80s and early 90s was also one of power and “getting rich”, and indeed we experienced an economic boom as well as a return to right-wing politics with the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, this caused social unrest and riots in many areas. There was numerous underground music movements including Death and Black Metal, also the underground, illegal and drug addled raves of the Acid House movement popped up around the world and the Hip-Hop scene was another voice for the underground which became incredibly popular.



I am going to go into more depth about Pluto’s journey through Sagittarius over the last 16 years in my next article. I have merely scratched the surface here with Pluto’s symbolism in relation to the (mostly Western) history of the 20th Century but I hope to have given an idea as to how Pluto changes its mysterious face within each sign leading us closer to being able to make some predications about the next decade and a half with Pluto moving through Capricorn.

The Liberals would like people to believe that even though
the Conservatives have the most seats of any party, that
more Canadians are 'against' them if you add how many didn't
vote for Conservatives.Which is one of their main arguments
for forming a 'coalition government'.

Well, let's see how many didn't vote for Liberals...

143 (CON)
49(BQ)
37(NDP)
2(IND)

Well, whattya know. That's 231 seats that didn't want the
Liberals running things.

143 (CON)
77(LIB)
49(BQ)
2(IND)

That's 271 seats against the NDP.

143 (CON)
77(LIB)
37(NDP)
2(IND)

And 259 seats against the BQ.

77(LIB)
49(BQ)
37(NDP)
2(IND)

Hmm. Only 165 seats don't want the Conservatives running things.
Well, I think the people made the better choice and it pisses
me off that the Liberals think they can manipulate the system
by joining up with the NDP and BQ to 'take over'.
Also, plenty of people who voted for the NDP do not support
the Liberals and do not want them in power.

I don't honestly know who would do a better job for Canadians,
but I do know that I don't like having my vote, my voice, tossed
out the window like it didn't matter at all.
And the NDP and Liberals don't even have the same mandates.
They've opposed each other for decades and now they're going
to buddy up. Man, I hate politicians.Grr!

Ok, this is the “working week ahead” forecast so that’s Monday to Thursday/Friday. I’ll post a weekend forecast on Friday to let you know what is in store. In between then I shall be continuing my series of Pluto enters Capricorn articles. Today is extra special because you can actually look up to the sky and see what I am talking about here in my blog. It’s not just made up y’know!

Love

Nels

Two planets join together today, and if you are in the northern hemisphere, you can look up and see them! When things like this happen it gives a real sense of magic and beauty, truly an awe inspiring sight. Just look for the two brightest “stars” in the sky very close to one another; they are visible before the rest of the stars show themselves and will be in the same kind of area as the Moon. This is beautiful Venus and generous Jupiter, these are the two “nicest” or beneficial planets and when they link up it is definitely a time to; eat, drink and be merry.

Love and beauty is highlighted at the beginning of the week, there shall be a general good feel and things should run smoothly. Grand gestures of love may be made, things of beauty can be appreciated even more than usual, we may come across some stroke of luck in our lives, we may want to drop everything and go out and have fun. There can however be too much of a good thing; money may seem to fly out of our pockets, responsibilities may be thrown out of the window in exchange for frolicking, calorific foods become superific foods and before we know the moments gone and we never did take a moment to; look up at the sky, send that special email or arrange that intimate evening with that special someone. Prioritise what is beautiful to you and make the most of it today.

This week may rush by, there is a lot that needs doing and doing it seems really rather urgent. Although we have the drive to make the most of this week, doing one’s own thing may come under the hammer from a loved one, this might be particularly true for people romantically entwined. In some cases it seems we are being given a second chance, but there is also a likelihood that we may either pass this up or completely throw it back in someone’s face, even if that someone is karma itself. There’s a tendency to put a lot of effort into gaining someone’s approval, we must be careful not to surrender our own sense of self or originality in doing so as this may backfire or simply drain us of confidence.

Human potential is great, far greater than most give themselves credit for, this week we can push ourselves to our personal potentials but in doing so we may have to ignore cues from others to conform. On the other hand, being overly selfish can act as tripwire, so a balance is needed. Not only a balance between self and others but a balance between work and fun, using this abundance of energy on both will reap the most rewards.

Peace and love.

Aspects discussed
Mon 1st
Venus conjunct Jupiter
Tue 2nd
Mercury opposed Pallas/Amor
Thu 4th
Mars opposed Pallas/Amor
Sun opposed Pallas/Amor
Pallas conjunct Amor
Fri 5th
Sun conjunct Mars
Sun/Mars conjunct Ixion


Ixion and Hera -Rubens

To begin with I thought that all of this would fit nicely into one article but when I get writing one section of if that I planned it turns into a whole post within itself so I will probably be doing this series of articles all week, I shall be back tomorrow with the "Week ahead" forecast however to keep you sweet with what's going on in the cosmos.
Love

Nels

Here I am going to outline Pluto and its ‘astrological meaning’, or as astrologers call it; delineation. I’ll get the basics out of the way first. Even though astronomers have demoted Pluto to dwarf planet status astrologers still hold Pluto with incredibly high regard. If one has ever consciously gone through a Pluto transit they will know the immense power that this planet holds and know it is not one to be messed with. Pluto rules the sign of Scorpio and is also affiliated with the 8th house of the natal chart. Scorpios are renowned for their intensity, sexuality and mystery, as is with Scorpio is also with Pluto so we can begin to gain a bit more understanding of what we are playing with.

Pluto as it interacts with other planets, travels through signs and touches sensitive areas of our natal chart then mingles its energy with each (and all) of these. Although Pluto was discovered in 1930 it took astrologers an incredibly long time to determine its influence. This is for a few reasons; Pluto acts in ways that effect people and events on a deeply personal, secretive or subconscious level. Pluto teaches lessons from somewhere outside of human comprehension, from “beyond the grave” or from the underworld. This is why Pluto can often have such devastating effects because it is an inhuman energy, although its effects are felt on our inner most core they are being taught by something that is impersonal. The most commonly used keyword for Pluto is transformation, I mentioned this briefly at the end of yesterday’s post. There are many ways in which this can be explained; it is the process of death and rebirth. Pluto may come in and destroy something that either we personally feel attached to or something that has been a long standing tradition; at the time this can cause a real feel of destruction or something being torn away from us, this can cause great grief or even a global crisis. It is only when the dust has settled and this crisis has past that a sense of freedom is felt, it is only then that we realised this attachment, complex, tradition or neurosis was hindering. With this new sense of freedom, fresh and beautiful things can be built in its wake, replacing the old with the new and carrying on the most basic cycle of life…and death. Pluto’s sign Scorpio has often been compared to story of the Phoenix, who was said to live for 600-800 years and when it reached the end of it’s life and was withered and old it would build a nest to which it sets light to, the bird and nest would be turned into ashes only for a fresh new, young bird to majestically rise and carry on a new cycle of life. This beautiful idea is Pluto’s major theme and way in which it works.

Pluto also works to a certain rhythm when moving around the zodiac, when something needs to change we are often too blind to see this is so. Whatever it is that needs changing will start to grate, and cause all kinds of blockages and frustrations in one’s life even if we are not actually conscious to what we must get rid of. This tension can build up and up until it becomes too much to take then erupts, like molten lava spewing from underneath the earth, into a crisis or major event. This is when the problem can be purged and resolved, and one can move forward hopefully free from the shackles that have been causing such tension and blockage before. This “rhythm” can also be compared to the symbolism I have outlined in the paragraph above as the cycles of life and death.



It is not to hard to see from the symbolism outlined above why Pluto is of course intrinsically linked with the act of sex, reproduction (and reproductive organs) and the orgasm. There are many other much more specific associations and influences of Pluto, much of this is to do with its physical properties; being a tiny spec of rock compared to the gas giant Jupiter but having such an incredible influence over what happens here on earth. This can be seen with Pluto being related to nuclear power and weaponry; such a massive effect from the smallest of things; an atom. I also mentioned yesterday that Pluto is associated with depth-psychology and psychoanalysis; this theme goes on to include people’s motives and manipulation, the Machiavellian side of people and society. There are also numerous keywords and associations that I shall compile a small list of to help you understand where I shall be coming from in future articles in this series; secrecy, fanaticism, minimalism, crime, drugs, gangsters and the “underworld”, dictatorship, mines, volcanoes, super-richness, war, blackness. The list could carry on for some time but hopefully this has given you some idea as to what kind of things Pluto is associated with.



All in all Pluto still continues to be a mystery but that is because this is intrinsic in the being and understanding of the planet, perhaps this is somewhat of a paradox, but we cannot truly ever understand something that is from another world of dimensions and spheres of experience that our primate brains are not wired to perceive or comprehend. We can observe the cycles of life and death but never truly understand them; some of the greatest unanswerable questions concern this process and Pluto drops little hints and clues but essentially will never be truly understood.

Peace.

Oatmeal Honey Mask

Do you want a cheap mask that will make your skin glow? Read the following steps to learn how to make one


* 1/4 cup of fine-ground oatmeal
* 1/2 cup of water
* 1 teaspoon of honey

1. Get a container and put in enough oatmeal for half a cup of water, probably going to be more or less a quarter cup.
2. Add the half a cup of water.
3. Add enough honey until mixture is very gooey.
4. Apply to your face and keep on for 10-15 minutes
5. Wash your face off with warm water and pat dry with towel.

Gingerbread Wreath(from everydaycelebrations.ca>



Ingredients:
4 tbsp (60 mL) flour
1 pkg (510 g) Pillsbury* Refrigerated Gingerbread Cookies
2 cups (500 mL) icing sugar
3-4 tbsp (45-60 mL) water or milk
Food colouring
Assorted small candy sprinkles, edible glitter and/or coarse sugar

Method:

* Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw 10-inch (25 cm) circle on paper. Turn paper over so mark is on underside; line will show.
* Sprinkle 2 tbsp (25 mL) of the flour on work surface. Shape 1/3 of the cookie dough into ball; press into flour. Keep remaining dough refrigerated. Press dough to form 8-inch (20 cm) round, turning and coating with flour frequently. Place in center of circle on paper-lined cookie sheet. Roll to form 10-inch (25 cm) round, about 1/4 -inch (6 mm) thick. If necessary, trim uneven edges. Cut 4-inch (10 cm) round from center; remove smaller dough round and set aside for cut-out cookies.
* Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from baking sheet; place on cooling rack. Cool 10 minutes or until completely cooled.
* Meanwhile, roll half of remaining dough on floured surface to 1/4-inch (6 mm) thickness. With 1 1/2 to 3-inch (3.5 to 7.5 cm) Christmas cookie cutters, cut out shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining half of dough, dough scraps and flour.
* Bake shapes for 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from baking sheets; place on cooling racks. Cool 10 minutes or until completely cooled.
* In small bowl, blend icing sugar and enough water or milk for desired spreading consistency. Divide frosting into small bowls; add food colour as desired. Frost and decorate cookies as desired. With dabs of frosting, attach cut-out cookies to cookie wreath, allowing 1 layer to set before adding another layer.

Makes: 1 wreath

Or how about 'Cookie Mix in a Jar' recipes.(for gifts)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Desserts/Cookies/Cookie-Mix-in-a-Jar/Main.aspx

Police investigating the case of a Wal-Mart worker trampled to death by frenzied shoppers in New York on Friday say it will be difficult to identify the suspects in order to lay criminal charges.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance videos of the post-Thanksgiving Day rush, but said Saturday that no new information is available on the man's death.

Temporary worker Jdimytai Damour, 34, was one of about a dozen people taken down by the stampede at a Valley Stream, N.Y., store on Friday morning as about 2,000 people rushed through the doors at 5 a.m.

A metal portion of the door frame was disfigured by the onslaught, reportedly crumpled like an accordion. When police attempted to help Damour, a number of officers were jostled by customers — some of whom had been lined up since 9 p.m. the night before to take advantage of the sales.

Damour was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead. At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries

Read the whole story from cbc

***
That's messed up, people.