Maebius Musings

***UPDATED with wife/kid ideas below…

Get stuff for my kid, add my name to the card, and I’d be more than satisfied!

What, you want actual Maebius-related ideas? well, alright….

I’m a purveyor of all things tea-related, as many know. Any sort of tea is good. I have a plethora of strainers and such so loose-tea is always welcome, and less packaging than pre-bagged ones. The differenter the better!
For those alcohol-friendly folks, I am championing the cause of single-malt Scotch in the world. Nay, I daresay I become unto a true connoisseur of Scotch. I’ve tried the old Spayside-region standbys like The Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, and kin, but have heard rather interesting things about Islay Isle scotches, particularly Laphroaig ,or the somewhat rarer Lowlands. A gift of Scotch is one to be shared, as well, which adds a special treat to any such gifts I receive. /wink

Also, anything Dr Horrible inspired would net you Muse-points from this blog. As a fellow Nathan, and occasional Corporate Tool, a t-shirt would be wondrous, though the DVD is also a happy-making thing.

World of Warcraft game-cards are always welcome. I plan on having an account there until the servers die, or the internet is taken from me. Plus, gift-cards can be re-gifted to folks I know in-game affected negatively by the economy, yet derive more than just “entertainment value” from the community on-line.

Of course, any sort of random strange and unique stuff would find a place in my home (or as pants), as some of you folks know. I like surprises, and if it comes from someone I know (even virtually), or Local to the area, so much the better!

Heck, this year, a hand-painted card with watercolours or crayons on a scrap of junk-mail envelope would make me happy. I don’t need “stuff” as much as I enjoy surprises.

This year, I have also felt a rather huge pull to be more charitable, perhaps as some esoteric spiritual buffering of the consumer-driven economy lately. As such, I think (hopefully without ‘selfish selflessness‘) that I would love to support these types of things in leu of proper gifts. I personally know some folks who have recently gotten put out on the street or otherwise very much in need of outside support, and it’s hard knowing that while we help as we can, it is not feasible to take them into our own home or finance their grocery/medical bills. Knowing this, I am drawn to help official charities be supported so those established organizations can do what they do better than our small household could ourselves.

http://www.foundationhoc.org/CF/HTML/TheaBowmanHouse.html
http://www.stevens-swan.org/
http:/www.childsplaycharity.org/index.php
http://www.kidsoneida.org/kids-oneida-home.cfm

Blessed Holidays to you all!

UPDATE: Ok, here’s a random wishlist for the rest of the family…. I’ve included two or three things that are already sent by Santa (and others) just so you can see what sorts of things were in mind by these two…

Sprogling: (as mentioned by him)

• small sand-timer like comes in board games. (30 Seconds = for brushing teeth the appropriate time)

• stuffed boxer dog (santa already has)

• Boom Blox (Wii game)

• Topple board game. (or Jenga, anything tactile like that)

http://www.etoys.com/genProduct.html/PID/3373679/ctid/17?ci_sku=197853&ci_src=14110944

• Drumsticks (already gotten)

• 100 trees (to plant in the backyard and build a fort in)

• Any kind of Craft things. (he loves paints, and pipe-cleaners)

• Paintable figures or stuff. (we have the dragons below, but he wants “a hundred million hundred thousand hundred of them because they are so cool and can defeat anything!”)

http://gifts.barnesandnoble.com/Toys-games/Paint-Your-Own-Bowls/e/31412642007/?cds2Pid=17921
http://gifts.barnesandnoble.com/Toys-games/Dragons-Paint-and-Play-Set/e/9780641760648/?cds2Pid=17921

Mrs Maebius

• UGGs style boots (sheepskin lined boots, size womans 9, short, not knee length)

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2792101/0~2376780~6009391~6012477~6012480~6012745?origin=category&pbo=2792101

• Tales of Beedle the Bard (harry potter book)

• Heavy thick comfy socks. (be creative)

• Set of drill bits (different sizes, since we only have 2 bits right now for our drill. “Thick” or “pilot hole”)

• This ring-holder necklace. http://www.whatonearthcatalog.com/whatonearth/Item_Heart-Shaped-Hinged-Ring-Pendant_CB0672_ps_srm.html

• Fleecy warm blanket (amish blanket, that gamer-sleeved blanket, etc)

• White-noise generator for sound sleeping (without running the dryer or a fan.)

• The grabber tool to get canning jars out of a water bath without burning yourself.

No Comments »

Just a quick Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the US, and a Blessed New Moon to everyone in the world.

I’m thankful for a whole lot, which won’t make it to the blog this time around. Suffice it to say that I’m ponderously blessed in life. Good friends, wonderful family, a home of my own, and the means to live comfortably (per our accepted level of comfort, not necessarily society’s). All the rest, like tech gadgets, games, and such are merely extra thankful details. Thank you Universe!

Still recovering slightly from the nightshift work this week, and trying to get things organized for a trip this weekend, the Yule holiday fast-approaching, and Tax-season getting dumped in my wife’s lap (literally, one client said “Here’s my stuff for the last quarter.” and gave her a duffel bag of papers and receipts to go through! *sigh*

So, short blog post here, but I wanted to post something at least before zooming off to Buffalo this weekend to visit the god-daughter….. See you all next week.

No Comments »

I’m on night-shift this week, which means my schedule is all wacky and I tend to either be At Work, or sleeping, or eating, (then sleeping some more). I used to be able to do the whole opposite-shift in a heartbeat, easily switching from a regular 8am-5pm to the midnight-8am shift whenever necessary. Lately, as a sign of (shudder) Getting Old, I seem to totally crash the second day and want to sleep 24 hours.

(actually, yesterday, other than going to see a movie with the family, I DID sleep from 10am-5:30pm, then back to sleep from 8pm-2am. I’m STILL tired here at work. Forgive the rambling-ness of this posting.)

…zzZZzz..zzZZZzz… Wha? Oh right. blog post.

Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving holiday, which will have it’s own blog-post this weekend once my brain is on a proper “Musing about Thankfullness” wave. For now, know that I’m thankfull for a heck of a lot. My life is pretty good comparatively speaking, and I do acknowledge that. Might not make it totally into blog-form coherently. *grin*

As for actual Content today, I bring you a Music Meme, discovered over here in the Magical Hills. Rules:- Choose a singer/band/group.

Answer the following using ONLY titles of songs by that singer/band/group/Band/Artist

I choose the group that’s been rattling in my head lately, regardless of how many OTHER songs I try to put in front of them. Heck, I’ve dreamed about going to see them in concert last weekend. Obsessed a bit?!?!: Gaia Consort

1. Are you male or female? Cooling His Fire
2. Describe yourself. Three (or The Web)
3. What do people feel when they’re around you? No Shadows
4. How would you describe your previous relationship? Blood
5. Describe your current relationship.Every Sacred Thing
6. Where would you want to be now? Evolve
7. How do you feel about love? Just Because
8. What’s your life like? Move to the Country
9. What would you ask for if you had only one wish? Peace Now
10. Say something wise. Cry Freedom

This was actually kinda hard, because on one level, the song titles kinda fit the question, but on the other hand there is a whole sub-text of connotation with actually knowing the songs. I wanted to almost put “Just Because” as an answer to question#5, if only for the song content itself, not the title, since using just the title sounded rather flippant and dismissive of the relationship with my wife. But the song itself is a nice love-song, in some sense. Also, #2, with an answer of “Three” is meant as a title-only to refer to my current family of Wife, Child, and Kid…. I love my family lots, and is a huge part of who I am. Yet, the song itself is about Polyamory, which isn’t really me at all. *shrug*

There’s no tagging rules posted for the meme, but feel free, if you are reading this, to reply with your own answers! Curious Maebius is curious. (and still sleepy).

No Comments »

Mawwage….

Recently, the media has been quietly talking about “Proposition 8” in California. It basically is attempting to revoke the rights of same-sex couples to marry, after recent legislation was passed saying they Could. Why the Flip-Flop? For this post, it doesn’t matter.

For all the discussion, debate, and open-ended conceptual warfare, I am not sure where the exact definition of Marriage comes from, in relation to its sanctity in joining a man and woman together in legally binding relationships according to Religious principles.

In terms of the bible, which is most often used to to back up the stance of marriage existing between solely a man and woman, there are not many references. (Here are the most relevant I found.) Mainly, the references from the New Testament revolve around a relationship with Christ being likened to a marriage unto the Lord (Eph, 5 v20-32).

Historically, weddings were contractual relationships, yet the concept of a marriage existed long before recorded history. It was a way to ensure the successful upbringing of offspring from a potentially “free-acting” male. It’s easy to know who the mother is of a child, due to obvious biological facts. Men are not so constrained. Thus, I beleive the entire role of Marrage was to help smooth out uneasy questions, and provide a stable framework for “families” to work.

I think, though have not researched things completely, that the first “laws” defining or structuring marriage/divorce were the Mesopotamian “Code of the Hammurabi“, however even these codes imply a pre-existing concept of husband/wife. These origins have no grounding in strictly Religious trappings.

It can be argued, however, that the cultural atmosphere in today’s world does wrap a religious robe around the ideals of a Proper Wedding. It is here that the major issue of “What constitutes a Marriage?” springs up. Yet I think it is missing the original point, and simply arguing semantics.

Call it a Civil Union, call it a Domestic Partnership, or call it a Marriage. The end result is the same. Two people are contractually obligated to act in certain ways, with legal ramifications for acting outside the established contract.

My issue with the entirety of Proposition 8 is that it, and other arguments like it, are based on a Judeo-Christian mindset, and supported, if not legally, but de-facto ethically, by calling up Religious pre-texts. This is inherently WRONG!

In today’s culture, even when weddings are provided my a clergy member of whatever spiritual institution you adhere to, the actual “official document” making the marriage binding is a slip of paper submitted to the State. Government controls what a Marriage is, and only authorized selected clergy/priests/Rabbi/etc in respect for dogmatic tradition.

There then seems to exist a secondary set of laws for things like “Domestic Partnerships” and “Civil-Unions” whereby couples who did not “fill out the necessary paperwork” can still retain legal rights similar to those who were “married”. Often, the distinction between the two things blurs in terms of legal governmental status. The only difference, in many minds, is the lack of a Spiritually-binding act.

The point of this muse, before I get too long-winded, is that I am strongly curious why this distinction exists. If almost every other aspect of our government is systematically forced to adhere to a “Separation of Church and State”, why does the Marriage-factor always get dragged through the mud and propped up by Godly Principles protecting it’s Sanctity?

If folks want to explicitly define a Marriage as between a man and a woman, make it so as a secular law without trying to drape the reasoning for it in spiritual terms. Likewise, folks are welcome to be “married in the eyes of god” like in the good old celtic/etc stories, where an Official Wedding would be impossible, yet love binds two people together with opposing cultures.

I personally would like to see anyone able to “marry”, on their own terms. Men, women, box-turtles, or entire orgies of white-lace-clad virgins. Let them have their weddings, their Handfastings, etc, in whatever structure they prefer. Then, just toss the actual legal aspect of “spouse-rights” into a generic Civil-Union and make everyone happy (except the Xtian-esque Fundies, of course). This almost exists now, but still gets lost in the loud voices striving to Truly Define the thing.

It may be semantics, but it bothers me we continue to have these arguments. Why make such an important, solemn, and obviously deeply rooted tradition cause for continued strife and re-re-re-legislation?

Alternatively, I do understand that the gay/bi/lesbian communities would like to have same-sex marriages in order to overturn historical persecution, and enable/authenticate the lifestyle with equal validity to “normal” society. (I use the term “normal” not pejoratively, but ironically). Again, though, I think there needs to be a cultural shift in that a contract of Civil Union as it exists today contains almost exactly the same rights as a traditional married couple.

If the spiritual and emotional aspect of a wedding is what is sought, that still exists in principle and practice due to not binding in any legal sense until the proper paperwork is signed. Just not with the “total package” that the more common clergy-based (or Justice of the Peace-based) ceremonies include.

I know at least two couples who have never exchanged rings, and are married in the eyes of the law by going downtown with a pen and scribbling their names on some documents. I also know a few couples who have had elaborate ceremonies with flowers, rings, and cake, who are “just dating” as far as the Government is concerned, yet more deeply “wed” than some Official Spouses in terms of their relationship and Spirituality.

What is it that keeps these two separate situations so entangled and stress-inducing to the local legislation?
Comments are encouraged!

3 Comments »

When I took out the puppy for her nightly 1am potty break, I noticed the air was crisp and very cold. a Lovely wintery chill in the air and racing clouds against the moon. There was a light hint of frost on everything, not quite enough to sparkle properly, but enough to give everything a light hazy-grey tint.

This morning, there was snow!

A good -3 inches here, with the radio reporting some lake-effect areas getting 6 inches.

As the first official snowfall for the season (we had wet flakes earlier, but nothing stuck and had melted by the time I woke up) it was nice to see. The kind of snow that is dry and powdery, so that preparing the car to drive meant simply slamming the door closed and watching everything *poof* off onto the driveway.

I wish my camera worked, since the drive to work was lovely. I do enjoy winter for mornings like this where there is not a blizzard of risky driving, or cold enough to freeze your lungs instantly. Just a nice, white-blanket across the landscape, and mostly sunny weather to make it glisten.

First snowfall means I get to stand outside as long as tolerable barefoot tonight once the kid and wife go to sleep, (I last usually all of 30 seconds) and scoop up a handful of snow to sprinkle on my head. It’s my winter tradition to “embrace the season”.

Hope folks reading this are enjoying lovely weather too.
(and I hope things dried out in Rio by now)

1 Comment »

An award, and a single-word meme that I thought I’d share…

With this award, I made a new “page” for the blog. Should be a link near the top, to go with the archives, my music playlist, and such. Thank you very much for this. (Would it be too immasculating to “SQUEEEEEE” in joy?)

My first official award is from Nydia at Bringing Up Salamanders. She’s a wonderful witchy lady with a young son about the same age as mine.

Here’s the meme. Answer the questions with a single word. I can do that!

1. Where is your cell phone? nonexistant

2. Where is your significant other? working

3. Your hair color? dark-brown (it’s one word, honest! hyphenated! )

wonderful5. Your father? sagacious

6. Your favorite thing? internet

7. Your dream last night? scary

8. Your dream/goal? abide

9. The room you’re in? cubicle

10. Your hobby? MMORPGs

11. Your fear? inconsequence

12. Where do you want to be in six years? gardening

13. Where were you last night? computer

14. What you’re not? bald (yet)

15. One of your wish list items? greenhouse-in-forest-clearing

16. Where you grew up? Lititz

17. The last thing you did? blogged

18. What are you wearing? work-clothes

19. Your T.V.? idle

20. Your pet? plethoras

21. Your computer? aging

22. Your mood? tired

23. Missing someone? yes

24. Your car? Hyundai

25. Something you’re not wearing? tie

26. Favorite store? Wegmans

27. Your Summer? Beaches

28. Love someone? Many

29. Your favorite color? purple

30. When is the last time you laughed? Tuesday

31. Last time you cried? Tuesday

Hmm, I’ll pass on the award to….YOU! If you are reading this, and have a blog of your own, consider yourself awarded!

No Comments »

Back in late September, I started seriously playing around with a pendulum I had made, in order to see what sort of latent Divinatory talents were hidden in myself. Since starting, I have used two main pendulums, with varying degrees of success. What follows is a somewhat long and hopefully not-too-rambling look back at the practice.

My first pendulum is a simple string-with-real-acorn, which seems to call to be used for more serious questions that are local to my house, property, or personal “real life” stuff. The fact that it really felt ‘wrong’ to use it for simple practice questions took me by surprise. I hadn’t expected a ‘tool’ to get such a voice of it’s own. Kinda interesting and neat though, and because of this, it has not gotten much use. I do know it will be used further in winter…somehow… so I’ll be sure to post updates with any Great Mysteries revealed in the future.

My main pendulum is described in my original post. I had kept it in my pocket most of the days at work, and often pull it out to do simple yes/no questions during bathroom breaks (too much info, I know!). This jewel-stone tool gets lots of use, and actually broke earlier this week and will need re-threaded.

I understand the concept of a Pendulum to be an extension of your inner psyche/spirit. The pendulum itself, in my paradigm, does not ‘know‘ anything beyond what the user knows, and acts merely as a sort of “answer-magnification-device”. If I ask it if my friend in Pennsylvania was wearing a red shirt yesterday, I could not get an answer due to me know having a clue what coliur shirt they wore. However, I do believe it is possible to use pendulums to help divine answers that you may not know you know, and draw out instinctive information from your inner-brain being in touch with the collective Universe. (See the end of this post, for this concept using Traffic as an example.)

Initially, I stuck with simple yes/no questions for practicing with the pendulum. Was it tuesday? Will I have soup for lunch? Should I post something on my blog today? I did this, with readily known answers, in order to really get used to the movement of the pendulum. When I started, I still had doubts about being able to use it without my hand obviously ‘making it work’ and forcing the answers. Keeping things simple helped train myself to just let the answer come, and show I could get some pretty vigorous movement even when I felt I was keeping my arm perfectly still. I started to feel how to be “in the zone” to properly ask questions and wait for the subtle muscle-twitches to provide the answer. Step one, complete.

Then I began asking more pointed questions, especially regarding my job, my future, and the deep-seated thoughts on the recent presidential election. These were questions I could not readily call out as strictly yes/no in simple terms. This time, I started learning how to ask the questions properly.

Some examples from my private diary, to show this were: Asking “Will McCain’s economic policy help prevent a further depresssion? …yes“. Following up with “Will Obama’s economic policy help prevent a further depresssion? …yes“. Same answer? Hmmm…. This made me think more, and refine the questions along the lines of “Will McCain’s policy be more effective than Obama’s in creating the economic situation I prefer to live in?“

I did this type of back-and-forth questioning on many political topics, as well as things such as “Should I keep my job which seems at-risk now, or start seriously looking with a mind to leave ASAP?” Of course, each “question” became a full dialogue with myself, exploring further specific details and digging deeper into the initial thought.

I always felt amazed at the people who really “grokked” things like Tarot cards, or runes, or palm reading, or astrology, but such activities had this weight of scholarly research attached to them. In order to know the deeper symbolism and intricate interconnectedness of the tool-units, it seemed to require an encyclopedia-brain of knowledge. The results provided by such systems I could relate to, and accept as authentic. I understood that knowing all the sniggly details and esoteric symbolism allowed profound insight into the question/answer results, but felt it far beyond my willingness or means to accomplish with any authority.

But then, just the other night, when I was doing a session of deep-digging and using the pendulum to help refine my thoughts from all angles of a question, I understood…. With a bit of string, a few holey-rocks, and a cheap silver trinket, I was doing “Real Divination”, and had to smile. It’s a form of meditation almost. I always feel more grounded and centered after a practice session. All it took was a bit of time, and a willingness to quit thinking so hard, and let the gravity of a million, billion stars dance with my own arm muscles.
Can I tell the future with my pendulum? Not quite yet.

But, then again, perhaps the correct question is “Do I really need to?”.

1 Comment »

Combining two of my current favorite things:

World of Warcraft, and hope for the future.

Click the image for a full-size version

w00t!

No Comments »

In keeping with my “music IS the muse of life” outlook, here is something that managed not only to bring me out of my recent funk, but I got the magical WOW-factor going, with tingly Awe from listening to it. Found it after random web surfing for completely unrelated things.
(The best web-finds always seem to be serendipitous, don’t they?!)

I drove home from work happy, and proceeded to do dishes, and clean up the house with a smile, after dinner, to the great pleasant surprise of my wife.
This NEEDS to be listened to properly, with headphones or a quiet room. It’s got some powerful subtle going on.
I also love the whispering “I wish I was special” near the end.
http://takingtigermountain.com/archives/113

Here’s the website for the group singing.
http://www.kolacny.com/en/index.htm

Enjoy!

I think what made this golden for me is not the subject matter of the song, so much as a brilliant cover of a potentially depressing song, turned right around into something full of Light and Love. The juxtaposition is hard to ignore, and is what I think made it almost magical.

(PS: Wren, you need to have Dorkus hear this. I’m sure he’ll love it.)

No Comments »

(a day late, seems to be a habit I’m picking up around here)

Nettle has tagged me for a “Six Random Things” meme, so here is my offering.
http://everthorn.net/Musing/2007/06/eight-random-facts/?p=37

But Maebius, you cry, it is against the rules of blogging to simply link to prior posts as content?!? I’ll grant you that one.

The rules are:

1. Link to the person or persons who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1) I am currently wearing khaki corduroy pants and a black long-sleeved lighter-than-sweater, heavier-than-t-shirt ensemble at work. Lately, I’ve been on a black pants and sweater kick, but my black pants have all gotten too dirty and need washing today. My co-worker commented that he was surprised to see I switched my wardrobe around (black top) since it was becoming my “uniform” to wear black slacks or jeans, or trousers every day for the last two or three months. Wonder why I dislike jeans and khakis all the sudden?

2) This is the Flory coat of arms/crest. My surname is of French descent, though my geneology here on this continent is mainly German, PA Dutch, and Scottish background. The French influence had long since been diluted, though the name carried down the paternal chain before the first settlers landed in America. My great, great, etc, great grandfather (Joseph J. Flory) rode over on the ship “Hope” according to our research, and arrived in the US in 1733.

(Here is a link to a decent summary, chapter 2 mentions Joseph J Flory.)

3) While I am right-handed, there are a number of things I do wth my left hand unless actively thinking about switching to the other. They include: Eating, Throwing Frizbees, typing most things (I don’t touch-type, and my left finger usually goes as far over as H on the keyboard), and stirring things, as well opening push doors (I pull w/ right, push w/ left). Some people find this odd.

4) I have a crazy attraction to pottery. I’ve long harbored a desire to take a pottery class, but never got the willpower to do it since “I might not create the ultimate masterpiece I have in my mind”. However, I could spend days in the corning glass museum, pottery barn, and other stores just looking at the myriad of clay-based creations. Renaissance Faires and other artisan-friendly craft markets are like a drug. I want to BUY IT ALL, but know I’d never actually use the pieces and they’d take up too much space. Still, there’s that instinctive urge to look/touch/own anything from the smallest kindergarden-made snake, to elaborate drinking bowls and ceramics.

Strangely, Play-Doh and clay don’t call to me to create things with them. It’s only fired and glazed items made by others that I vicariously crave the ability to make. This= /drool

5) I have a small collection of secret-treasure books. These are old large tomes from various flea markets, or garage sales and each is thick like a dictionary, but are various subjects like “cooking for parties (from 1970, etc)”, or old faded fictional works I never intend to read. The reason I call them treasure books are that each has had the inner pages cut out to make a kind of box-storage space between the covers, which looks like a normal book from the outside. I have about 5 of these, and they are all currently empty since I don’t know what to store inside them.

6) When I play certain RPG-style video games, I am the type of person who seeks out the “non-standard” methods of playing. For those who know the genre, I like healers more than warriors, and tend to see how ‘buff’ I can make a healing character. I play defensively in that I value armor over weapon skill, and enjoy the challenge of playing Final Fantasy 7 with a focus on Red13 and Yuphie, rather than Cloud and Tifa.

In the World of Warcraft MMO, I play a discipline Priest and a survival Hunter, for the very same reasons. They are considered “off-spec” and garner a slight amount of derision for not being the most min-maxed characters in a raiding situation. I don’t raid, I roleplay. I think this stems from some sort of desire to be “outcast/fringe” in nature. Hmmm..

Tagging people who read my blog, but since just about every pagan-friendly blog in my feed reader has already DONE this, I’ll have to limit it to Wren of Kwitchery, and Varulv of…er… Varulv’s unknown blog that needs to exist.

No Comments »