The City and The Stars

I was searching the Internet for pictures of Jupiter and came across this. I liked it so much, I saved it and made it my wallpaper. This is called thecityandthestars by John B. Shaposka. I have decided that I really enjoy Mr. Shaposka's work, and I will seek out more of it.

Chameleon Revisited

Deb had mentioned to me once or twice that there was a great little pet shop up by Publix (a higher quality grocery store in this area) that has some of the more exotic pets. I was out that way getting my hair done recently and decided to go take a look. I was curious if they had any chameleons that had feet like the Panther Chameleon I had painted (and still have). I've gone out on the Internet looking for a good close up picture of their crazy feet, but I guess I'm the only freak who is fascinated by them. There are plenty of pictures where you can sort of see their feet, but nothing that I could put on here that you wouldn't need to enlarge to see.

The pet store was not a disappointment. I looked in every single cage and aquarium, and they really do have an interesting array of exotic (and more mundane) pets. I ogled the chameleon's crazy feet as much as it would allow. They really are not the most social creatures and I was met with looks of distrust by one eye, while the other concentrated on a nearby leaf.

I was proud of myself when I looked in on the tarantula without doing my normal reflexive heeby-jeeby shiver. I still wouldn't be interested in being in the store if the spider came out of it's case, but at least I didn't squeak at the sight of it.

The pets I found most intriguing (aside from the chameleon) were the chinchillas. They had a cage out in the middle of the store with maybe five or six chinchillas in it. Chinchilla lanigera is the scientific name. According to some websites I looked at, they can become tame and bond closely with their captors (I mean humans). I put a finger up near the cage, though, and the one who seemed to be interested in human interaction was actually more interested in nibbling at human fingers. So I satisfied myself with ogling them as well. They are cute in a strange, furry creature sort of way. According to the Internet (because it knows everything), they are good as same sex pairs, especially with litter mates. I didn't look to see how they are with other animals, like big fat cats. It's a moot point. I know how my big fat cats are with other animals and it would never work. Not that I'm looking to bring a third pet into my house, or anything; they were just really cute.

This is Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness, Scotland. I visited the area several years ago with a choral group from Virginia.

The group went to England, to sing with our sister choir in High Wickham, but I paid extra to stay an additional week. My hosts, Barry and Jenny Street, helped me make arrangements for my second week after original plans I had made became suddenly moot.

During my extra week, I stayed in Edinburgh at a wonderful bed and breakfast, whose name I wish I could remember, but the hosts were absolutely wonderful to me. I was in Edinburgh for the festival of Beltane and took one of the "ghost tours" in the tunnels (catacombs, sewers, whatever) under the city.

That was for the first few days. The rest of the week I traveled north into the lower Highlands, to a city called Inverness. It lies on the river that leads into Loch Ness and was showing signs of rapid development from a small community to a busy tourist area. My bed and breakfast there was somewhat of a let-down after the wonderful treatment I received in Edinburgh, but I still enjoyed the city.

One day I spent the entire day walking around in the countryside. I had taken a bus into the hills to look for what I thought would be the location of a stone circle mentioned in a novel by Diana Gabaldon. (The novel is Outlander and I am currently reading the latest installment in the series, A Breath of Snow and Ashes. She's a wonderful writer--well able to make you love and hate the characters as if they were the people in your own life. She also puts a great deal of research into her work so the historical aspects she draws on are not too far taken away from the history we are taught--just enough to be realistic and still have the lift of fantasy. I have been in love with Jamie Fraser, the story's hero, since I read the very first passage about him.)

Umm... yeah. I was telling a different story, wasn't I? So I walked around the hillsides looking for the battlefield at Culloden, which I found, and the stone circle, which I don't believe I found. I found a stone circle, but I doubt it was the right one. During this adventure, I also found landmarks that referenced places I had heard of in Scottish music. A band called Silly Wizard has a song on the one album of theirs I owned, called the Valley of Strathmore. I passed through an intersection with crossroads signs on it, and one of them pointed towards Strathmore. I had to take a picture of that for myself and my sister, who loves the song (and the group) as much as I do. Of course, I also promised to bring her back a big Scotsman, kilt and all. I didn't completely manage that, but I did get pictures of a bagpiper in full tartan, and got a Beef Eater to speak on a tape recorder for her. That was great.

Well, enough reminiscing for the moment. I need to get beautiful for a wedding this afternoon. Not mine! Some friends from the hash decided to get married, so of course, all the hashers are invited as well. Several of us pooled our funds and bought them a kegerator. Perfect gift for a hasher, especially since the groom is our current beer meister. I think we may have even gotten enough money together to put the first keg in it for them. I love hashers.

Bumper Stickers About God

I'd like to know what makes bill board and bumper sticker writers think they know what's going on in a god's head -any god, not just the Christian one, though most of what I see is about that one.

I mean, driving down the road at any given time, you'll see at least one bill board or bumper sticker that's telling you something "God" says, wants, does, or believes. How did the person who wrote that know? Are they a direct conduit of "God's" thoughts/emotions?

Today, on my way home, I saw a bumper sticker that read "God doesn't believe in atheists." OK, now. First, how do you know what "God" believes? Did he tell you? Second, here's a pretty standard definition of the term "atheist": One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods. So, if "God" doesn't believe in atheists, that means he thinks everyone believes in him. Sure they do - that's why there are so many atheists hanging around. This "God" fellow has a few issues if that's the case. I think he needs some therapy. I'll send Gaia over to talk to him about it. Or maybe Buddha or Allah. Or how about Zeus or Odin? Lillith, maybe? Hera? Osiris? Can I stop now? Do you get the point?

Really, people. If every god says they're the only one, or the only right one, which one's wrong? Can we all PUH-LEASE stop stomping all over everyone else's beliefs? Or, at the very least, can we all please not get all huffy and self-righteous whenever someone says "I don't believe the same thing you believe?" It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with what you think, so stop getting defensive. For goodness' sake, people, just accept that there are differences in thinking and move on and stop trying to convert everyone into YOUR mindset. It's just silly. You should all just believe what I believe and be quiet.

I wanna go! Wanna go with me?

Potter Heads

OK, I think he's groovy enough to come out to a midnight pre-release showing in the middle of the week. That doesn't make me one. I'm only a fan.

A Potter Head is along the same lines as a Trekkie. They dress up in costumes like they wear in the movie, even to the point of carrying around sticks carved to look like wands. They adopt phrases and terminology that aren't part of their regular world. All I can say is that I'm glad no one was wearing a tall, pointy hat. At least no one in front of me; I can't say about the people behind me.

I am not speaking against them at all, believe me. Let's face it; I've got no room to tease them. When several hashers decided to meet at the pre-release party for Pirates 3 (Arrrgh!), we all whipped out our favorite pirate-y gear, some of which was quite impressive. And then there's the whole hasher thing. I mean, hey, tomorrow my kennel is having our annual Red Dress Run where everyone wears a red dress (EVERYONE) and we move from one bar to the next drinking and leaving behind mystified "muggles." (Yes, we adopted the Potter Head term to replace our former term, "civilians." They both mean non-hashers.)

Anyway, the movie was good. It felt a little slow but I chalked it up to the fact that Transformers was so darn action-packed. It kept Yaw's attention in spite of how close to sleep he was during the pre-show ads. His sister, who had just returned on a plane from DC, managed to stay awake as well after not getting any sleep.

I noticed that everyone looked very different from last time. Not just the kids but all the grown-ups as well. OK, Maggie still looks like Maggie, but everyone else looked changed in some way or other. Some of it could be chalked up to someone different doing hair/makeup/costumes, etc. But they felt different too. Not unpleasantly so, but definitely different.

But it was a good movie and anyone who likes the story-line to date should watch it. It's way too late for me to up typing on the pc, even on a Friday, so I'm taking my scratchy eyes to bed. Go to the movie!

Transformers - More Than Meets the Eye

Double dose of Tylenol Cold. Bag of Halls Menthol Liptus cough drops in my purse. Once the popcorn is gone, pop two cough drops at a time until they're gone, then do it again until the movie's over.

We waited a year for it to come out - we saw the previews after last year's 4th of July shuttle launch. I can't even remember what movie we watched; I just remember we made the date right then. When it comes out, we'll go watch it together.

I left work early today because of my cold and my lack of sleep (because of my cold). Deb and I had many brief conversations about my guilt over leaving early combined with my determination to get to the theatre with Yaw to see this movie TONIGHT. The conversations mostly consisted of Deb saying "Just go." My folks raised me to think that if you didn't finish your day's work, you had no business going out to play at night. I think I can deal with the guilt.

I went home. I slept - upright because when I tried laying down, the cough was just too annoying and persistent. I got up around 4:00 and moved to the couch to sleep another 30 minutes or so, then I looked up the times online and sent Yaw a text. I was going, darn it all. We finally agreed on the 7:15 showing and I told him to call me when he was leaving work.

Six o'clock came. He called. We went. We saw. The movie kicked Transformer Booty! It rocked and rolled. I want the soundtrack. Yaw wants the movie. And all the action figures. And he wants his car to be a Transformer. (It would be a really cute one, I'm sure.)

Now I'm supposed to get a good night's sleep. Guess I'll be hitting the Tylenol Cold Night Time. Branden loaned me his jar of Vick's ointment, which is also helpful. Doesn't smell all that great but it really does soothe a cranky chest and nose. Tomorrow I may or may not be up for fireworks. But I will definitely put my little grill to work on some hot dogs and boneless country ribs. MMM Yum.

Residents In My Mailbox

If one were to count the number of people living in my apartment by the names that appear on envelopes in my mailbox, the place would be extremely overcrowded. I'm sure immigration or other government organizations would be watching the place very carefully.

Since I've moved here there has been a constant flow of mail coming to my address for people who do not live here. I'm not talking about the "Resident" or "Our Friends At" mail. I'm talking about the names of real people, or maybe the fake names real people gave to businesses to get stuff.

It started out as just two names that kept showing up, and I assumed they were previous residents. Now the list has grown, and I've lost count, but I think it must be somewhere in the neighborhood of ten or eleven different names. Once, I even received a notice of a certified letter for one of them. When I went to pick it up (feeling very confused because I had no reason to expect such a thing) I was taken aback by the name on the envelope and told the postal worker ("Wait a minute mister postman") that not only did I refuse to pick up the letter, the recipient doesn't even live at that address.

Either my address is very popular, or I am very popular, and everyone wants to get in on the action. It would be nice to find more mail in the mailbox that does actually say my name, though - besides bills, I mean.

I've decided, after reading the "Spiders" info a little more, that this dream must be about the more positive sides of the spider dream figure.

There was webbing, but not enough to endanger me. The spider wasn't limited to one location, but ran all around the room, it never bit me, and I never smashed it (even though I thought about it).

All said, it must be a positive dream. Now if it would just tell me what it's trying to tell me...