Maebius Musing

I’m sure by now all you readers have been rather inundated with the media’s marketing of “little steps” to help save the planet.    Green-washing aside, there are plenty of smaller steps you can do which may not single-handedly save every human on our little ball of dirt, but can help out a little bit and “make a difference to that one“. (ie: Loren Eisley’s “The star thrower“)

Without stepping on too large a soapbox, I’ll propose a challenge-tagging to you all.  I’ll list 5 small very tiny steps that I’ve taken this year, which have managed to stick in my routine for over two months now, and thus become “habit”.    They are not huge things, but I’m fairly proud to have wrangled them into reality.

1. Started drinking less soda and coffee (still do on special weekends and during night-shift to help stay awake though!).  It may not seem like a huge thing, but in prior posts, I’d been fairly addicted to Mountain Dew.  So in addition to losing weight, I save a bit of money, and feel less sugar-drugged at work.
2. Canning our own food.  Be it veggies, 40+ quarts of marinara, fruit jelly, beans, or liqueurs, the products of our garden and local farmstands now adorn our cupboards more than years past.  We’ve saved money already, even buying new jars/lids/etc, and cemented in our habits a valuable sustainable kitchen-practice. While not being “green” in a more eco-mainstream sense, it does reduce the energy-cost of food we’d normally be buying at hte store shipped in from remote areas.
3. Garbage Reduction.  All of our food-scraps gets fed to the chickens (recycled into EGGS!).  Our paper-trash is collected and burned periodically, and plastics/cans are thankfully recycled each week as part of our regular garbage removal service.  While I realize burning paper-trash releases CO2 and may impact global warming, I’ve yet to see research showing it makes MORE of a problem than hauling the trash to a landfill where it will rot and fume for years.   Less trash, and recycling/refeeding of some trash reduce our impact in the long-term as a healthy eco-habit.
4. The CF lightbulb switch. Yes, it’s been mentioned to death, along with the haz-mat scare of containing mercury, but we’ve done it in most rooms.  They honestly do last longer than incandescent bulbs, and are cheaper on electricity.
5. Started folding instead of crumpling.  Sorry if this is a squeamish comment, but it deserves mentioning (at the very least for eccentric-maebius factor). Regarding bathroom tissue (TP), I used to unroll a good long bunch of sheets, and then crumple them up for posterior usage.  Then, I read a report about the average number of sheets and realized I was far above that.  So I started just using 5-7 sheets and folding it before using.  I avoid paper-cuts at work (they have crappy TP, pun intended) and cut my usage almost in half.   4 sheets saved each time, = many more trips to the thinking chair before buying more rolls!

What have you done?  (long-term habits from years ago are allowed, if they still make you feel a bit happier and secure knowing they count towards “helping the planet”.)

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I’m not even angry
I’m being so sincere right now
Even though you broke my heart and killed me
And tore me to pieces
And threw every piece into a fire
As they burned it hurt because
I was so happy for you
Now these points of data make a beautiful line
And we’re out of beta, we’re releasing on time
So I’m glad I got burned, think of all the things we learned
For the people who are still alive…

(credits link)

So um yeah… I was off work on vacation again last week (I’m actually starting to get tired of these darn mandatory vacations, interspersed with absolute-Hell-on-wheels of being the single and only guy at work while I AM here covering for my other co-worker.   Totally understand he’s feeling the same frustration, too while I’m sitting at home.

Work is busy, we are missing our SLAs (service level agreements)  which in part is almost a good thing since it shows we just can.  not.  do.   it.   with such a limited staffing here.  Still, the customers get understandably irritated when it takes us three days to fix one of their problems, instead of the usual ‘few hours’.  So there’s that hanging over us, and while understandable, that does not equal “acceptable” in the upper brass eyes.   Other sites are struggling too, so the atmosphere here at work is to jump and cringe whenever the phone rings.   Argh!
So, while I should probably have a Autumnal Equinox post up here, it doesn’t exist.  I have not mused constructively in the past month at all really, (outside of stress-induced rantingn and escapist online game-playing).

I’m doing science, and I’m still alive.

That’s what I’m thankful for right now…..that, and October is almost here, bringing a return to sanity and sleep, and all that fun normal daily schedule stuff.

Still alive.
Still alive.

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I don’t have much in the way of in-depth musings this week, due to Real Life sticking it’s nose into my free time.   Instead, I bring you an unorganized listing from my notebook of ideas (If I get a musing topic, I’ll scribble it down for possible use later)  Most times they don’t get posted or elaborated upon here due to being distracted or lack of time to fully research the links and ramifications I want to.
Feel free to comment upon these, or suggest topics for future musings!

1. How to organize/inspire guildmembers in Warcraft (or any online game) where it’s entirely voluntary to participate?
2. Is it cultural, habitual, genetic, or spiritual (or combo?)  to crave specific foods at specific times of the year?   Autumn means I hanker for stews and gravy, and lots of vinegar, and Oatmeal for breakfast.  Summer means subs and salads, with fruit and nuts.  Oatmeal in summer just doesn’t appeal to me, and doesn’t seem like it’s a “hot food vs cold cereal” kind of thing, unless extremely ingrained or instinctive.
3. How sad is it that our first PTA meeting last night (Parent Teachers Org,  yep, we are THOSE types now I guess!) which covers all grades K-12, had a grand total of 13 parents there, including the 5 officers.   They were all totally happy and excited to see four new faces from the new elementary-class parents (ie: us and another family).   Education is important, people!!!
4. How scary is it that when the local BoyScout recruiter was at the school and I asked the starting age (since my nephew is now a Cub Scout), they wondered “Do you know anything about Scouting, other than the girls sell cookies” and I informed them that I am an Eagle-rank Scout and OA fellowship-rank, their eyes went all manic and near-yelled “Awesome! ZOMG! We need people to help in leadership roles!!” before they calmed down and asked if um.. Would you be willing to help out when your son gets older?     Honestly, the replies were in that order and near-quoted.  It was almost worrying.
5. Are new puppies granted supernatural powers of Cuteness, so that even when they pee on the floor in excitement when you get home from work, you scold them, but then have to turn and suppress a giggle when they tilt their head with the “I’m sorry daddy” look.
6. When is a good time to start teaching kids economics (allowance-giving)?
7. Escapism or Creativity:  RPG games and spirituality! (elaborate later?)
8. How would our world be different if the moon didn’t rotate at the same pace as it orbits? (same side always faces earth).
9. Correspondances Askew:  making the sun female and the moon male. (I read this somewhere, need to research and muse myself as a thought-experiment)
10. Coyote Beautiful.  Honoring the trickster, with a nod to how he relates to the christian idea of Lucifer. ( possible title: ” playing at Advocating the Devil?”)
11. Raising rabbits, making money.  Comments on how Savings accounts, mutual funds, and other “storing cash” methods can be used as a spiritual metaphor?
12. Penny pinching to lose an inch.  How reducing/altering food habits can save your waistline and your pocketbook.  Organic Exclusivity is probably not financially sustaining in today’s market, but there are plenty of things that are cheap and yummy.
13. The importance of being earnest (apologies to the original title):  Pick a faith, ANY faith, and follow it.  Even cultism has it’s value to some folk’s spiritual growth.\

That’s plenty for now, though I have a few more I may flesh out later as actual blogposts…

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I almost want to refrain from posting Political viewpoints here, not because I’m afraid someone “in power” would see them, but more that it is not the topic and theme of why I keep this Blog.

That being said, I’ve commented on a few pagan-centric blogs around the net how I’m actually afraid, after some recent news reports and insights towards our candidates and their running mates…Specifically Sarah Palin and her blessing to go out and essentially be a Witch-hunter.

Many others have written in more details than I will go into here.  I advise anyone with curiosity on this topic to go research the specifics yourself.  It’s all over the intarweb, so you’ll have no trouble finding clips and op-ed pieces.

In summary, our Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republicans belongs to, supports, and participates in a rather outspoken and fervent Church-belief with a targeted vendetta against Witchcraft, which by slight similar connection, also tends to denounce more ‘mainstream’ Christian denominations like the Catholics and Protestants.

*shudders* I’ll avoid the virtual smiting towards her, because violence only begets violence…we need temperance and education to show the country these types of things.  Even in you agree with her, I do not, and welcome honest and open dialogue on the topic.  Honestly.  I’ll gladly talk and listen to opposing viewpoints for hours, in the interest of mutual understanding and learning.

(I was practicing Lutheran ministry in my youth, and know personally that the ‘Assembly of God’ doesn’t like our kind either….now with my own pagan leanings, I can imagine how they’s accept my spirituality.)

I’m still scared, not worried, but deeply and unspeakable-scared since I saw that Palin church video. Even if it wasn’t about witches, or pagans, or jews, or islamic fundamentalists, or even Lutheren Ministers…

The thought of anyone being SO convicted, vindictive, and Zealous about ANY group “opposed” to their beliefs is NOT the type of person that should be ruling the country.
Disagreeing with them is one thing, I personally don’t count myself among her type of Christian, but there’s no way in hell (pun intended) I’d denounce her beliefs with such vitriol if making my thoughts public, the way her pastor is doing there….

http://magichills.blogspot.com/2008/09/wolf-in-sheeps-clothing.html 

http://godsrbored.blogspot.com/2008/09/tag-for-your-life.html

http://nettle.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/in-which-i-use-profanity-talk-about-politics-and-laugh-bitterly/

http://www.alternet.org/rights/97939/weird_theology_in_wasilla%3A_a_look_inside_sarah_palin%27s_pentecostal_church/?page=entire 

 http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2008/09/15/sarah-palin-and-the-thomas-muthee-witch-hunt/

One interesting link had the quote:  “One thing that this video definitely proves is that Sarah Palin does believe in witchcraft. Now that’s a historic candidacy.”  http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/09/25/is-sarah-palin-a-witch/ 

Likewise,  I thought I would offer some oppositely leaning articles, or at least less inflammatory, for fair balance.  After all,  If I am only looking at this through a polarized lens, I’m missing any other insightful slanted beams that may exist.  (whee, a physics refence in political opinions!)

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/politics/2008/view.bg?articleid=1121557&srvc=home&position=emailed

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2008/09/palins_new_pastor_problem.html 

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Autumn has struck again, and with it a more formal shift in my mind to introspective stuff.  It’s rather amazing how, if you pay attention, our bodies and minds react to the shifting seasons in subtle ways.

Whether it be force of habit,  instinct, or a deeper change in our spirit, this time of year makes me crave stews and soups in hearty amounts.   Summer is the time for salads and sandwiches, autumn means beef gravy, and thick rootstock veggies for dinner.  Truly the “Meat and potato” season is upon us!

I’m not sure if it is entirely based on the availability of local foods either.  With today’s supermarkets, I could eat strawberries all year, and have a pumpkin pie at will from the bakery counter.  But I don’t favor those flavours heavily, except at seasonally appropriate times.    Interesting!

In other news, I’ve decided to dedicate my meditation time, and part of my work-break-minutes to the art of Pendulum Divination.

I have a lovely little pendulum I made years ago, with a silver acorn ‘plumb-weight’, and seed beads along the ’string’, comprosed of emerald, Carnelian, and moonstone threaded on black waxed-linen thread.  It hangs a mere 7 inches (18cm) long, which might be too short according to some sites I found online, but is just perfect for keeping in my shirt-pocket at work.

I will make brief comment on my progress, throughout the month, which currently stands at “I made a nifty pendulum and plan to learn to use it“.   Brief experimentation with a few other pendulums that I made or found lying around the house have led me to believe this particular one will work best and feels more natural to me.

Second pick of mine is a length of almost yarn-thick cotton string, 13inches(33cm) long, with either a bronze-dipped acorn on it, or a really cool hunk of quartz-like mineral on it (not a crystal, just a “hunk of whitish and grey rock” from the backyard.)

While the more formal gemstone bead and silver weight feels good for everyday practice and convenient carrying, the longer “cheap knock-off” one is almost calling for itself to be dedicated for Semi-Big Questions and at-home-only ponderings.

Perhaps those with more background in gemstone correspondences, and metaphysical hanging-weights can comment with thoughts on this finding? 

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