Mar
29

Past the Veil – A Wiccan Funeral Rite

In the Northern Hemisphere it is the beginning of Spring, the season of Fertility, new life, conception and growth. Pagans of many stripes see this time as a time to start new things, as a time for fertility of imagination as well as biological fertility. It is a time in which the Goddess is a young, vibrant Maiden, and the young God, reborn in Winter, grows into a playful, virile young man. The two flirt and tease each other until the holiday of Beltaine, where the God and Goddess unite in love and cause the abundance of Summer in crops and beasts.

The Wiccan Wheel of the Year

The Wheel of the Year shows the relationship of the Wiccan holidays (known as Sabbats) and the seasons.

As a time of life’s beginning, it may not seem appropriate to discuss the end of cycle, Death, but all things are connected. Living things die and return to the earth, helping to create fertile soil from which plants grow and thrive. Living things feed on other things, causing death but also ensuring their own survival. The cycle is just that, a circle, connected both ways from beginning to end.

Unfortunately Death strikes when it will, and humans in all our wisdom can only sometimes delay that inevitable moment. Even in Death, however, all is not lost. The energy that defines us, our soul, continues on in its own cycle of reincarnation, a journey through lifetimes of new challenges and wisdom to be gained through them.

Several years ago, a friend of mine made the decision to take her own life and end her suffering here in the physical world. I am not going to get into the “morality” of that choice – I do believe it was hers to make, and whatever extra challenges in subsequent lifetimes she may have to face are also hers. It is not my place to judge her decision. However, because of the pain she felt here on Earth, I felt it was possible she may have too many ties here and it might have been hard for her to move on to what came next for her. Also, I was unable to grieve with others who knew her at the time. So, I created a ritual, based off of this rite I found on the internet at the time, plus some customized thoughts for the situation at hand. Later I wrote it into my Book of Shadows (a Wiccan’s guide to her/his personal Tradition) in a slightly less specific form in case I wanted to use it again for another funeral. Fortunately, I haven’t had occasion to use it since then.

Another Pagan blogger, Brenda Lee of PaganInMe and Four-Legged Mom, who is just beginning to explore the depths of her new Pagan faith, wrote today about previous deaths in her family, with questions about her own post-life choices. While I can’t answer her questions specifically, because the answers are hers to make, I thought I’d post my little (ok, not so little) funeral ritual as sort of a companion post to her. Because Death for us survivors sucks and can be traumatic. But the Other Side is not to be feared – it is a place of transformation only. We live on.

**Note: to include every step of the ritual the way I would set it up would make this post twice as long. Instead, I listed steps but did not elaborate for “common” ritual tasks like Casting the Circle, things that you might do the same every time you performed a ritual. Since this is customizable, feel free to perform these tasks the way you prefer, or in the way that makes sense to  you in the context of this rite.

This ritual can be performed with just 4 people (taking the roles of the Directions/Quarters in the rite) or adapted for an audience or other participants, as needed. Depending on your situation, you may even use this at the grave site or funeral home.

I hope you find this helpful. Please feel free to comment with questions or your own ideas about death/rebirth and funerary rites. I look forward to your thoughts.

A Wiccan Funeral Rite

Preparation/Cleansing of Self

Preparation/Cleansing of Space

Altar Setup

Casting the Magic Circle

Calling the Quarters:

The circle members should Call the Quarters in much the same way that they are normally called, except in reverse order (widdershins) starting in the West. That is to say that each individual in turn names their Watchtower, invites the spirits of the Watchtower into the circle, and renews his/her connection to the Watchtower as usual. However, after the connection has been renewed and before moving on to the next individual/direction, there is an added passage that each should say. These are listed below. At the end of this additional passage, the directional candle should be lit.

West: “As the Sun sets, so (name of the deceased) has left us. The water of our tears, like the salt water of the sea and the water of our Mother’s womb, blesses this circle.”

South: “As life is a day, so (name) has passed into the Night. The fire of our life, the memories and courage, and the strength given to us by (name) blesses this circle.”

East: “All that falls shall rise again, so (name) shall also rise again. The air we breathe, this treasure of our life, and the compassionate caring we give each other blesses this circle.”

North: “As the Earth forms us, so (name) shall return to the Earth. Our Mother feeds us and clothes us. She gives us everything, and in the end she takes our bodies back into herself. The earth that forms us and receives us after death blesses this circle.”

Invoking the God/dess(es)

Observance:

A photo and/or items belonging to or representative of the departed should be placed upon the altar.

At this time, those who wish to speak to the dead or say something about him/her may do so.

The following should then be read by the most appropriate person in the group, or the words can be divided up among two or more individuals if necessary.

“(name) has died. No one who has died should ever pass from this world to the next without knowing the loving grief and hope felt by those around him/her. We are here to share our grief and our hope and our love for (name) that it may aid in the transition from this life to the next.

Our lives are formed of many others, and we form other lives in return. And we are here after your death, (name), to honor your life.

There is only Love, the greatest Mystery. We open our hearts and our eyes in the light of this Love. The Love of the Goddess gives birth to the Universe. The love of our parents gives birth to us. The love of our friends and family sustains our life. Kindness, love, and pleasure – we are formed from these and we form each other. When we die, we leave them behind us as we prepare for the life beyond this one.

You have left your family. You have left behind sex and even gender. You cannot be a woman or a man to enter the other wold. You have left behind your body. None who have bodies can pass into the other world.

The Goddess is taking you back now (name), the Great Mother. Her womb is the Earth that will receive your body. Your body is a seed now, a seed of other lives. You will return to the mother and when the time is right, you will be reborn through Her.

In sacred space we have gathered to honor you and to give you some things to take on your journey with you.”

Each member should place an offering upon the altar, in front of the photo of the departed. The offering can either be of some significance to the departed or represent the relationship between the member and the departed (a photo, keepsake, letter, etc), or it should be symbolic based on the direction or element of the person giving the offering. The offering should be named at this time, as should its significance:

East: “The East is the direction of beginnings, birth, and knowledge, and the element of Air. Things that begin must end, but things that end can begin again. Please accept this offering of (item). May it aid you as you as you prepare for a new birth and new life through the Mother.”

South: “The South is the direction of fire and passion. Please accept this offering of (item), and may it help you remember the love that was yours in this life, and may it call forth an abundance of love in the next.”

West: “West is the direction of emotions, intuition, and endings. As every ending makes way for a new beginning, please accept this offering of (item) to help you let go of the pain and sorrows of this life and prepare for the joyful experiences of the next.”

North: “North is the direction of Earth, of the physical, and of stability. Please accept this offering of (item) as a reminder that, although you are for now formless and sexless, you will soon be reborn through the cycle of life and again experience the world through a physical body.”

Chant:

We All Come From the Goddess

“We all come from the Goddess,
and to her we shall return,
like a drop of rain
flowing to the ocean.

We all come from the Goddess
and to her we shall return,
like a drop of rain
flowing to the ocean.

Corn and grain, corn and grain
all that falls shall rise again
hoof and horn, hoof and horn
all that dies shall be reborn.”

(Repeat)

Cakes and Ale:

Be sure to save two offerings of cakes and ale, one for the God/dess(es) and one for the departed.

Closing:

The following words can be spoke by the same person(s) who spoke before, or by someone else if desired:

“Samhain is the time of the year when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. It is a traditional time to honor and call upon those who have left before us. We will remember you, and all those who are no longer with us, and bless you at Samhain.

Journey on now, (name). We will follow when our time is right. May you be reborn when you are ready in a place and time that best suits your needs for learning and spiritual growth, and may you also experience in your new life the love and happiness you so richly deserve.”

There may be a moment of silence as each member of the circle silently says goodbye.

Saluting the God/dess(es)

Saluting/Dismissing the Quarters:

The Directions are thanked and dismissed as normal, but as the directional candle is extinguished, the following words should be spoken:

East: “The Sun will rise again.”

South: “Life continues.”

West: “Love is all we can be sure of.”

North: “Only the Mother is Eternal.”

Banishing the Magick Circle

Note: The offering of cakes and ale to the God/dess(es) is buried with thanks, and the offering of food and items is left at the graveside (if possible) or near the ritual site for the departed.

Category: Observations, Wicca and Paganism  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  Leave a Comment
Mar
21

Leaving The City of Flowers and Sunshine for The Land of 10,000 Lakes

I never meant to live in California.

In fact, I argued against it for several years, while married to my first husband who had grown up out here. I met him in Louisiana, we lived together in Oklahoma, and he always wanted to move back to his childhood home in Ventura, CA. After a week-long visit in 1997 or ’98, I found myself afraid of moving here – it was too big, too dirty, too different for me. There were no trees! Not like in Southeast Texas/Louisiana and even Oklahoma City. I hated palm trees. I felt so out of place.

When I got divorced, I stayed for a couple months with a boyfriend, then had nowhere to go when we broke up. My dad offered to let me stay at his place in Costa Mesa, CA, and because I had no real choice, I accepted.

I had a hard time making friends at first, and finally made some through the Camarilla Fan Club (now known as The Mind’s Eye Society) of which I’d been a member for about 4 years before I’d moved. A year after I came to Cali, I moved into my own apartment in Long Beach with a roomie and fully began to settle into California. Eventually, I loved it, especially after meeting my current husband and solidifying many friendships.

For a while, I thought I would never want to move away from here. I mean, let’s face it – Southern California is known for its exceptional weather, and it’s no lie. Sunny, warm weather is the norm here, with some grey days in May and June and a sprinkle of rain in the winter. In all my time in California ( almost 9 years now) I’ve never lived more than 2 miles from a beach, and mostly I’ve lived only a few blocks from one. Mountains with beautiful, scenic views are a short-ish drive away, and the stark beauty of the desert isn’t much further. Las Vegas is only a 4 hour drive (if you drive like a Los Angeleno) and is a great weekend get-away – Adam and I have a time share property there. One of the most fun things about living in Los Angeles County is being able to identify all the locations in movies and TV – much of the Transformers movie was shot in L.A. and Dexter (which is set in Florida) is shot down the street from my house, for the most part. Songs, books, movies, and T.V. shows are written about and in and have settings in the Southland, and I find it fun to be able to identify so readily with them.

There are so many reasons to love La La Land, but there are plenty of reasons to hate it also.

  • high crime rates
  • pollution
  • over-crowding
  • grime caused by lack of cleansing rain and too much smog
  • the huge sprawl of the metro area, unbroken by nature or pretty scenery
  • the SoCal image
  • housing prices
  • etc

One of the things I’ve disliked about California for a long time is it’s lack of proximity to family. My dad and stepmom moved to Phoenix not long after I got my apartment in Long Beach. Step-aunts and uncles, and my step-brothers either moved with them or aren’t too big on visiting. My extended birth family is mostly in Wisconsin, with the major exception being my sister, who lives in Indiana. And my husband’s family, probably the best, most good hearted people I know, mostly live in Minnesota. Except Adam’s sister, who actually lives in Riverside, CA, which is far enough away from us to limit trips to visit to 3 or 4 times a year.

Lately I’ve felt a strong urge to connect with family again. To live close to a community of people who love us. Adam’s extended family is not only huge, but they’re truly wonderful people. I’ve said before that they’re the kind of people I never believed existed outside of classic television. Not that they’re unnaturally perfect or anything – but they’re honest, kind, warm, steady, non-crazy, stable folks who are family oriented and genuinely decent people. There’s not a mess of them in jail, none of them should be kept away from small children for safety reasons, mental disease seems minimal, etc. No one punched anyone else out at the family reunion a few years back… stuff like that.

So, when I started feeling the pull to be around family, Adam’s was the obvious choice for me. I truly like them. I think they like me, mostly. So we’re looking into it, and we have a very tentative plan to move out there after my Barbershop chorus’ international competition in October. We even have a good idea on where we’d live – a large house in the rural area surrounding Northfield, MN. In fact, we may be neighbors with Adam’s parents!

It’s a paradigm shift for me – I’ve mostly lived in large-ish cities or their suburbs. I’ve never lived on a farm, or on property with more than a fraction of an acre footprint. But I’m ready. I can’t stop thinking of it, of all the opportunities it opens, all the changes it presents.

It won’t be easy. It won’t be fun all the time (especially that first Winter and it’s attendant snowfall). But I think it will be a very good thing. And that’s what matters.

Here’s hoping for the future, and the best it can bring.

Do you have any big plans in mind for this year? Any game-changers in the works for you? I’d love to hear about them!

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Mar
20

Opinion: Trayvon Martin Was Murdered in Cold Blood

Lately there’s been an outcry about the case of the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old black youth killed in “self-defense” a month ago by George Zimmerman. Last week, The Sanford Mayor and State Attorney’s Office released 911 call recordings after first allowing the boy’s parents to hear them.

Trayvon Martin

Even in a hoodie, he looks like just a harmless kid...

I wasn’t a witness to this situation, and I don’t have any unpublished insider information, but what I do have is common sense. The 911 calls convinced me that, at the very least, George Zimmerman, the shooter, should have been arrested, investigated, and put to trial as soon as possible.

It  is my sincere opinion that Trayvon Martin was killed in cold blood, by an at-best-delusional, and demonstrably overly suspicious man. George Zimmerman, an Hispanic man and self-appointed captain of the neighborhood watch, has a long track record of calling 911 repeatedly and frivolously. The 911 calls released last week make it clear that the case is not a clear-cut act of self-defense as local police and the perpetrator have been claiming. Based on these calls and witness reports alone, the police are remiss not to have arrested Zimmerman and launched and in-depth investigation.

George Zimmerman's Mugshot

Something about his eyes makes him scary

Witnesses recount events including what sounded like a shot, then a physical confrontation and (what sounds like) Martin screaming repeatedly for help. 911 callers did not go out to help because they were afraid, which is understandable to a degree. But I believe neighbor involvement may have stopped the murder from taking place.

Martin’s girlfriend, unnamed at the request of her parents, was on the phone with Martin when the incident happened. She says that from his perspective, Martin became aware of a suspicious stranger (Zimmerman) following him through the complex, and that Martin tried to evade his pursuer and thought he’d lost the man. Instead, Zimmerman backtracked to cut him off. His girlfriend heard Trayvon ask, “Why are you following me?”

People who are attacking others, causing those other people to act in self-defense, do not scream for 30 seconds for help. That’s what victims do. This boy was minding his own business, walking back from the store on a quiet, rainy evening. He was then chased by an assailant and then shot, point-blank in the chest and killed, with no provocation on Martin’s part.

Think about this from the boy’s perspective. Many of us have experienced that eerie feeling of being watched or followed in an unfamiliar part of town. We may have hurried away, hoping to avoid trouble from a vaguely threatening stranger. If that stranger then cuts you off and shoots you dead, that’s unprovoked murder, no matter what delusions of suspected danger were floating through that stranger’s mind at the time. But this boy was black, and that made it OK for the Sanford, Florida, police to overlook his death and dismiss any claims of foul play.

Shame on the Sanford police for ignoring this. Shame on a community for hiding in their homes and not coming to Trayvon’s aid. Shame on people like Zimmerman, who demonize innocent people based simply on their race.

Aren’t we living in The Future yet? Aren’t we supposed to be past all this senseless violent crime and racial bias?

Category: Observations, People  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,  4 Comments
Feb
28

Top 10 Upcoming Movies That Make Me Sad For Humanity

As you may have seen in my previous movie post, I’m a sucker for scifi movies, fantasy, and childhood remakes. But sometimes remakes and reboots go too far and corrupt a good memory, or rehash something that shouldn’t be rehashed. Some movies don’t need to be made – they hurt my heart or my head or my soul. But Hollywood trudges on, making films that make you wish you had those two hours back.

The following is a personal list of films I’m not looking forward to seeing in the theatres. Full Disclosure: I’m so not a fan of modern comedies.

Robocop (original)

The first series was hokey enough

 

10. Robocop- Why are they rebooting this? The original(s) were weird and silly, and unless they get really interesting with the technology, no one really cares to see this rehashed. Do they? Am I just wrong?

KickAss 2

How many asses do we need to kick?

 

9. KickAss 2- I left the theatre after KickAss feeling very sad for humanity. Yes, the “heroes” win – but at what cost? The little girl is destined for life-long therapy, and the boy is not far behind her. I don’t think my soul could take a 2nd dose.

Bourne Legacy Poster

More jerky camera headache inducing action! With less Matt Damon...

 

8. The Bourne Legacy- Really? We need to REBOOT the “Bourne” series? Hollywood, I challenge you to be more original.

 

The Amazing Spider-Man

Go, go gadget web!

 

7. Amazing Spider-Man- Rebooting film series seems to be the way to go these days in Hollywood. But there’s just no excuse with the technology we have available to release this movie with the sorry excuse for CGI web-swinging we’ve seen in all the previews and trailers. Ugh.

 

Friends With Kids

He gets a girlfriend, and she gets the girlfriend's thongs...

6. Friends With Kids- The premise: Two friends who live in the same apartment building decide to have a child together, without any sort of romantic relationship. Their involvement with each other is strictly in regards to their mutual child and continuing platonic friendship. Because, I dunno, rasing a child is the best part of a relationship? I don’t know. This one confuses me. I predict they fall in love and get married at the end of the film.

Battleship

You aliens sunk my Battleship! Bastards!

 

5. Battleship- 1st, how does this really have anything to do with the classic board game other than having a sea battle involved? 2nd, Why are you stealing from Transformers? – Oh, right, it’s made by some of the same people…

National Lampoon's Vacation

Behold, I am God...er, Chevy Chase anyway...

 

4. National Lampoon’s Vacation- The National Lampoon movies are what I think started to turn me off of awkward situational comedies. They were the beginning of the end of my enjoyment of the Humor genre in film. We so do not need to revisit them.

 

Three Stooges and Snooki

Snooki isn't funny... ok, yes she is. Just look at her!

 

3. Three Stooges- Looks like a modern scene for scene rip off of the classic physical comedy TV series. Except with added Snookie. Really?? Oh, and don’t forget the nun in a barely-there bathing suit.

 

Project X

Yay, we get the award for stupidest movie genre mashup! Whee!

2. Project X- The title of this film invokes a SciFi-spy-thriller sort of feeling in me, but apparently it’s a new “found footage” film documenting a crazy high school party getting out of hand. No scifi elements like the recent Chronicle, this will be a high school sex comedy. I can’t see how the genre will benefit from the found footage style – But either way, it’s so not my thing.

 

21 Jump Street

This guy is so not Johnny Depp

1. 21 Jump Street- I love Johnny Depp; he’s dreamy, moody, quirky, hot, and did I say dreamy? He can almost do no wrong, even in his first claim-to-fame TV police drama, 21 Jump Street, that launched him headfirst into teenage heart-throb territory. What this goofy “remake” movie has to do with that gold nugget of 80′s television is an anyone’s guess. I want to slap the person who came up with this, and everyone else who endorsed it as a good idea.

 

Agree/Disagree? What movies are you not looking forward to in the coming months? Tell us in the comments!

Category: Observations, Pop Culture, Random Geekery  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  4 Comments
Feb
23

Aaaaand… I’ve Gotten Sucked Back Into Live Action Roleplaying…

LARP, or Live Action RolePlaying, is an immersion storytelling event in which you assume the role of a character in an interactive drama. You create a detailed background story for your character, with strengths and weaknesses, goals and desires and personality, and a Storyteller creates a situation for you and other such players of characters to react to and with. It can be lighthearted or quite serious, scary or romantic. It is really whatever the players/characters make of it.

Clan Giovanni from the "Promise" game run in Los Angeles by OWBN

Freaky gamer friends from my favorite LARP group ever

I have been LARPing since about 1999, and my favorite game is the World of Darkness system by White Wolf Publishing. The World of Darkness, or WoD, encompasses several distinct games that share the same universe – Vampire: the Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Mage: the Ascension, and others. (Note: these are the “old” game names – a few years back, White Wolf rebooted their entire WoD universe and created the New World of Darkness, or NWoD, with games like Vampire: the Requiem and Mage: the Awakening.) I started with Vampire and moved through most of the rest of the games, at times playing in at least 7 sessions a month! I was a complete addict – the stories were fun to participate in and also it was a great social activity. After many games we’d all go to dinner together, and we’d have parties at each other’s homes from time to time.

For one reason or another I’d gotten out of playing lately. I suffer from Depression and that had something to do with it, but also most games are held at least 15 to 30 miles from my house (with some few being held as close as 5 miles away), and so it was a chore to get out every weekend to participate. I whittled down the games I was playing down to one or two a month, and then stopped going altogether. Did I miss it? Sure, every now and then. I missed seeing my friends more than playing the game, but over the years we’ve moved even further from each other. Some were up in Simi Valley, some out in Glendale, others in Riverside county, and yet more down in Deepest, Darkest Orange County. Although I live in a sort of center point to all these places, it just makes them equally far from me.

Strategicon

Visit http://strategicon.net for more info on this pretty awesome convention that happens 3 times a year near LAX.

Anyway, this past weekend was a local gaming convention that is held 3 times a year near the LAX airport. We have gone religiously in the past, but again had stopped going in recent times, mainly due to the cost of the convention. When I started going, the weekend pass was $30, and now it’s up to $50 per person. Still, we hadn’t been in a while, and my husband was interested in going, so we did.

I had planned to play some table-top roleplaying games (think old-school D&D, a bunch of nerdsgamers around a table with character sheets and dice, screaming about cheetos), but nothing on the schedule once I got there seemed overly interesting. I ended up spending much of the first day just hanging out with my computer and seeing old friends, and painting miniatures at the Paint-and-Take table.

tiny knight on a horse, painted metalic green with red accents

Here is my first-day attempt at paint and take. The figure is smaller than a quarter!

Some of my friends convinced me to come play the Vampire LARP that was one of the last ones I’d played regularly in, and so at 8pm I brought my old character sheet (still faithfully carried around in my purse even though I don’t play anymore) and prepared to make trouble. I wont go into the details of the game or my character, but suffice to say she doesn’t fit in very well with the group at large, though she does have some very powerful friends. Games in which I play tend to be interesting, to say the least. I forgot how much I likeed causing all that trouble, and so I quite enjoyed myself that night. And, some things happened in game that make it easy and important for my character to be involved in future games.

So, I’m thinking I might get back into it, a little bit.

I’m just hoping “a little bit” means 1 or 2 games a month and not 7ish. Hehe.

Do you play role-playing games or LARPs? If so, what’s your favorite character ever? How much of yourself is in that character?

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Feb
16

That “What I Really Do” Meme, Pit Bulls Edition

I thought Edana would appreciate this…

What I really do pit bull meme

Hehe cute! (click for full size)

If you haven’t seen her blog about her life with Pit Bulls, go over and check out http://fourleggedmom.com right now :)

Category: Cute Stuff, People, Random Geekery  Tags: , , , , , ,  2 Comments
Feb
15

Momma Cat in a Rare Mood

We currently have 5 cats (and a lizard and a 6ft snake) in our 900 sq ft condo. One of them is simply called Momma Cat, because she’s had 2 litters in the time we’ve known her, and she acts as mother and caretaker to all the other cats in the house – constantly bathing them and such. Sometimes, however, Momma likes to have a little “me” time, like this morning when she discovered her favorite blanket on the couch…

Momma Cat loves her blanket

Mmmm what a soft, wonderful blanket!

Momma Cat kneads the blanket with her claws

Mmm, it feels so good in my paws... knead knead knead

Momma Cat nuzzles the blanket

I will nuzzle my face into its fuzzy softness murfle nerfle grrgle

Now she's ready for sleep

mmm... so wonderful... soft... fluffy... sooooo sleepy... zzzzzz

We love our Momma Cat, yes we do! :)

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Feb
15

Top 10 Impending Movies or Movie Rumors I Want to See on the Big Screen

Since I started reading blog posts by the hundreds every day (ok, skimming most of them! Thank goodness for Google Reader!), I have been exposed to more movie news and rumors than I ever had before. Did they always release so many new trailers,  animated movie posters and featurettes for new movies (such as the crazy amount of ‘new’ promo materials for John Carter) and I’ve just missed it because I tend not to watch TV, or is this new and it just happens to coincide with my new blog-article addiction?

In any case, every day it seems I’m seeing some rumor or news item about an interesting new movie/movie idea. Many of these are remakes of things dear to me from my past, either movies or books. Here I will compile the top 10 movies I’d love to see on the big screen, inspired by rumors or actual news of production on the properties.

Jaden Smith in After Earth

Starring Will Smith and his son Jaden

 

10. After Earth - M. Night Shyamalan’s new SciFi movie. I love a good far future/post apocalyptic scifi film, but I’m wary of anything made by M. Night Shamalamadingdong these days.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

My favorite was always Raphael

 

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- not much info here. I loved the original cartoon series and enjoyed the few comics I read. The original “live action” films were hokey, but reboots of childhood favorites don’t have a great track record either…

John Carter of Mars Movie

I should reread the book but I gave it away on Bookcrossing.com

 

8. John Carter - When i first heard of this movie based on the classic pulp fiction novels, I was very excited. I saw the first trailers and it looked pretty good. But I’m nervous that the Writer/Director thought girls would be uninterested in a movie set in space. WTF?

 

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter poster

President by day, Hunter by Night...

 

7. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - I haven’t read the book, or any of the books done in the same genre/style (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, anyone?), but my husband has, and he’s a fan. His excitement for this film is contagious, and it has a great new trailer!

 

Riddick 3 movie still

From Vin Diesel's Facebook page...

 

6. Riddick – I liked Pitch Black. I even liked Chronicles of Riddick. I’m looking forward to the series returning to the look and feel of the first movie, though. And I do love me some Vin Diesel!

 

 

Emma Watson

She's so pretty!

5. Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson – I guess there are two Beauty and the Beast films in the pipeline – fairytale movies are “in” right now. But this one by Guillermo del Toro will star the gorgeous Emma Watson, and that alone puts it on my watchlist. Also, it’s Guillermo del Toro, which means it will be visceral and dark and well worth watching!

short circuit movie cover

Johnny 5 is Alive - again!

 

4. Short Circuit – A re-imagining  of the 80′s classic, this film will be geared towards children, but I wont hold that against it…

 

Transformers 4

I am in love with Optimus Prime...

 

3. Transformers 4 – the first live-action movie was OK; the second was confusing and sucked, frankly. The third blew me away. I’m excited that there will be a 4th film, and I’m glad that Michael Bay will direct, but the idea that it may be a “reboot” bothers me.

 

Magic Kingdom for Sale-Sold!

I hope they cast someone more attractive as Ben Holiday

2. Magic Kingdom for Sale – Sold! – Terry Brooks’ mid-80′s fantasy series is rumored to be brought to the big screen produced by Akiva Goldsman. I am a huge fan of these books about a grieving lawyer who gives up his safe but unsatisfying career in our world and purchases a fairytale kingdom complete with elves, wizards, demons and fantastic adventures, only to find out that it will take more than a fat wallet to to be the King Landover desperately needs. I really, really hope this book and its sequels make it to the big screen!

Katniss's Mockingjay pin

I also really want Mockingjays to be real

1. The Hunger Games – when promotion for this film/series began, I’d never heard of the books. They were recommended to me more than once afterwards, and I broke down and read the trilogy in the span of a few weeks. I dislike the Katniss character very much, but I ended up liking the series very well despite that. One of the recent TV trailers had me misting up with emotion all because of a particular 4-note musical sequence at the end. I am very much looking forward to the big-screen adaptation of this story!

Which of these movies are you most looking forward to? Or, if your movie isn’t on the list, tell me, maybe I’ve somehow missed it!

Category: Observations, Pop Culture, Random Geekery  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  2 Comments
Feb
14

Rescuing Kittens, Plus a Video of a Puppy Rescue

My husband and I have done quite a few kitten rescues in our home. I believe, at last count, we’ve rescued 20 kittens and placed most of them in new homes (3 are still with us). Since we lived in a neighborhood with lots of feral cats, we trapped about 7 adult cats and took them to the Humane Society to be fixed, and then released them back into our neighborhood – a process that keeps the cats out there, defending their territory from newcomers, but keeping the population from growing with new kittens.

It’s not a huge number, and it was spread out over a few years, but it was pretty good for us, on our own, with no financial help from any organization I think. The last kitten we rescued was truly an emergency case. I named him Midget – a neighbor heard his tiny cries from inside a built-in, locked storage cabinet in our building’s garage. He got a construction worker who was on the property for some repairs to break off the padlock with his hammer and found a scary scene inside: A mother cat had obviously given birth on top of the boxes stored inside the cabinet, because there were smears of blood and other fluids up there. But momma cat and all her babies were gone, except one – Midget was trapped between the wall and the boxes, probably having fallen there and gotten stuck. Momma cat, we think, tried to get him out but couldn’t reach him, realized that her birthing place wasn’t as safe for her kittens as she thought, and took the rest of them elsewhere.

So tiny!

I called him Midget because I figured he'd grow up to be the biggest cat ever. It's like calling a huge man "Tiny"...

Midget probably hadn’t gotten his first taste of milk from his mother before he fell. His placenta was still attached. My neighbor had never had kittens and didn’t know about the placenta so he was horrified thinking there was something wrong with the kitten, and immediately brought him to me for help, since he knew I did rescues. I detached the placenta with a pair of kitchen shears, wrapped Midget up in a tee shirt, and took him to the vet.

My vet is the coolest vet in the world. He gives the first exam of rescued cats for free. If there’s medicines or whatever, you just need to pay the cost of those and you’re done. So he saw Midget, decided he was fine if a little cold, gave me some tips on mothering him, and recommended a Milk Replacement Formula to get. Thus, I became mom to an hours-old baby kitten. I hand raised him – took him to school and pretty much anywhere else with me. At first, I’d just wrap him up in his tee shirt like a little purrito (purr + burrito!) and maybe slip him into a little purse I had, but later he got a nest in a shoe box lined with a towel, and i put his little purrito self in there to carry him around. He was a great baby, and my teachers were pretty darned cool with him having to come to class.

I had two scares with him – one, his eyes were just starting to open and they leaked what looked like infected pus. I thought he was sick so I took him to the vet and he went on antibiotics for a few days and was fine. The other time, he went completely lethargic and had a fever (I could tell from just touching him that he was too hot). We took a bus to the vet’s office and again he went on antibiotics. Within 2 days he was back to his old self again. It was scary but I’m so glad he was ok.

Midget grown up a bit

I always loved his nose and the 3 little white hairs between his eyes :)

Anyway, he’s fine now. It’ll be exactly 6 months tomorrow since my neighbor found him and brought him to me, and he’s with a new family – a friend of mine from chorus adopted him. She has two sweet kids who love “Snuggles” (he got renamed when he was adopted). Snuggles, for his part, loves his new family. He’s a little odd for a cat, which I attribute to him having a human mom instead of a feline one, but that’s ok. I miss him every day, but my friend sends me pictures on Facebook. :)

I was browsing the internet today, as I do, and I saw this beautiful video of a puppy getting rescued from a pipe under someone’s home. It made me think of Midget/Snuggles, so I’m sharing it with you.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Category: Cats, Cute Stuff, Video  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  2 Comments
Feb
10

Freegans, Suburban Gold Miners, Scavengers… Dumpster Diving in the New Millennium.

Why is that in the trash? There’s nothing wrong with that! It just needs a little paint.

dumpster

Look at that, it's a perfectly good Dumpster!

Have you ever passed by a trash can on pickup day and heard yourself muttering that question? People in the United States are notorious resource wasters – the average U.S. office worker uses about 500 paper, plastic, or Styrofoam cups per year (click here), and the average American uses the equivalent of one 100-ft tall Douglas fir tree in paper and wood products each year (click here). As a culture that thrives on upgrading our gadgets, our cars, our homes, our pretty much everythings to the next big thing, it really is no big surprise that we can find tons of useful stuff in the trash.

Lately, the type of Dumpster Diving that’s caught my attention is “Freeganism”. Freegan is a term that was created by playing off the words “free” -because they are finding things in the trash and therefore getting them for free, and “vegan”. Vegans avoid animal products such as meat, fur and bone, or anything made from an animal byproduct, such as milk, cheese or honey. They avoid products that are tested on animals to avoid condoning animal abuses. Freegans take this a step further by realizing that in some way, manufacturing, farming, and production harms the environment, removes native plants, and pushes wild animals off their habitat because now they are seen as pests. Wars are fought over natural resources such as oil, people are killed, rainforests are destroyed, etc. The only way to stop participating in a system that propagates this type of behavior is to stop buying new products, including food. So, Freegans remove themselves as paying consumers, and instead they scavenge for their needs.

In a recent conversation with some friends, I heard about the practices of a rather large, dominant grocery chain whose image is based on healthy, wholesome foods. According to my friends, this chain has a practice of throwing out fresh produce simply because it is unattractive. This would ensure that all the produce on display appeared beautiful, tasty, and fresh, but perfectly tasty, perfectly fresh items were being tossed because they weren’t beautiful. Of course, this chain also tries to keep Freegans and other trash-pickers from pillaging their Dumpsters, ensuring that the items they waste go to landfills and not hungry bellies. I heard this story second hand, of course, and that’s why I’m withholding the name of the grocery chain – you don’t call someone out on an unsubstantiated rumor – but the events seem likely enough to me, considering our throw-away culture.

So there’s this growing subculture of people who dig around in Dumpsters and other trash receptacles and find perfectly good loaves of bread in their original, unharmed packaging, pounds of fruits and veggies that just need to be washed, cereals whose boxes had been crushed a bit, or cans with dents in them. These people are completely living off these types of food, making a political and economic statement by not spending money on production. They find other treasures in the trash as well, not just food items, and use these to furnish or decorate their homes – heck, some even turn to squatting in empty, bank owned properties to make use of homes that stand empty.

If you’re not ready to plunge head-first into the Freegan lifestyle, perhaps you’d like to make a bit of side money at flea markets and other resale stores. A practice called “suburban gold mining” is more what I think most of us think of when we hear the term Dumpster Diving. A surprising amount of useful furniture, bicycles, artwork, first edition books, working electronics, and other useful stuff is tossed into the trash and some of it has been found. Gold Miners scour the best neighborhoods for useful trash and take home their finds sometimes by the truckload. They clean up and/or fix the items they find, and turn them around for a good profit at local flea markets, resale shops, or sites like eBay. The practice is getting so popular that there are several articles on it on the popular how-to website Instructables.

Of course, you don’t have to have an ulterior political or economic motive for trash picking – you could just see something awesome on the side of the road and decide to save it! It’s up to you.

When I was about 13 years old, I found a woven mat of some kind in the trash. It was made of some kind of plant material and had beautiful circular patterns in it. It had been tossed because it was frayed in some places, but I broke out some of the round pattern pieces and used them as display mats under some of the decorative items in my room. It wasn’t much, but it opened my mind to the idea that “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.”

Have you ever picked something from the trash? If so, what was it, and what did you do with it?

Category: Observations  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,  Leave a Comment
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