Silly Girl

I was listening to NPR the other day and they had a very interesting show. They were talking about the origin of words and how language is always evolving. Two examples were the words: silly & girl.

The word silly meant in Old English times "blessed". The word gradually came to mean "innocent".

In the thirteenth century girl was used to refer to a child of either sex. It was kinda meant "virgin" and didn't specifically refer to a female child until the 1500s.

There are a lot of words we use now that had a different meaning years ago. If you're a nerd like me click here to read about other words.

It's interesting to realize that language is still evolving. Just refer to the Urban Dictionary, you'll get a whole new meaning for a whole lot of things!

So, I guess if someone calls you a silly girl you shouldn't be that upset...

should you? LOL

The Gods

The other day when I was talking to my overzealous christian coworker he remarked on my statement that I believe in many Gods. He asked what their names were and why I believed in them. This got me thinking.

Every people in different parts of the world had their Gods with their own names; the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Gauls, the Asian, the Nordic and the Celts.

Since I am of Nordic and Celtic heritage their Gods should be known to me. So I've done a little research.

The Norse Gods are well known:
ODIN: The Chief God.
THOR: The God of Thunder and war.
FREYJA: The Goddess of love, beauty, and attraction.
FRIGG: The Goddess of marriage and motherhood.
LOKI: The God of mischief.

The Celtic Gods are less known:
ANGUS: God of youth.
BADB: A Goddess of war and life, enlightenment, wisdom and inspiration.
BRIGHID: Goddess of healing and craftsmanship, of learning and poetry. (The Celts so loved Brighid that they could not abandon her even when they became Christians, and so made Brighid a Christian saint). Her feast day is Imbolc.
CERNUNNOS: Horned God of virility, fertility, life, animals, forests and the underworld. Associated with the Pagan Sabbaths of Beltane and Samhain.
DAGDA: Earth and father God who rules the seasons.
DANU: Mother Goddess who protects crops and cattle.
DRUANITA: Goddess and Mother who symbolizes protection, knowledge, creativity, passion, sex, fertility, growth, trees and forests. Her feast day is Beltane.
EOSTRE: Goddess of Spring. Her feast day is Ostara.
LUGH: A sun God and a hero God, master of all arts, skills and crafts. The most popular and widely worshipped of the Celtic Gods. The Pagan Sabbath Lughnasadh is named for him.
NUADHU: God of healing and water; his name suggests "wealth-bringer" and "cloud-maker."
OGMIOS: A God of eloquence, language and genius.


This makes me think that the early christians who invaded Brittan were successful in destroying the ancient Druid and Celtic writings and destroying the old beliefs. But not completely...! Thank the Gods!

Bad early christians!

Closet Space

I was recently talking with a coworker and we discovered we had some common friends. My coworker lowered her voice and said; "let's not talk about this here". That caught me off guard!

"Why?" was my response! "Well.... I don't want other people to know... um, you know... these common friends... I don't want to mention the "A" word around coworkers... you know..!"

It suddenly dawned on me. She was in the closet about being an atheist! Or at least she didn't want other coworkers to know that she knew some... (ssshhhh...) atheists! Oh my god! (Or should I say: Oh my Goodness! OOPS!)lol

This got me thinking. Why would someone be afraid of being called an atheist? Or being called gay? Or a swinger? Or... whatever it is? Why do we feel we have to hide?

I'm a very open person. Maybe it's because I write this blog and purge write about a lot of things, but I don't feel I have many secrets. I'm not in the closet about anything! I'm a pretty open book. I really don't believe that one should live with a big lie or a big secret hanging over their head. I can't imagine living like that.

Sure, I know discretion is important. I don't tell everyone I meet that I'm gay, only people on a "need to know" basis. I don't share that I get depressed a lot with the person I just met at the bar or that depression runs in my family. I don't secretly go get tattoos and then worry that someone may see them. I really am a very open person. I think it's better to live life with no extra burdens, life can be difficult as it is... why add extra pressure on yourself to keep a big, deep, dark secret!

Maybe that's why the PostSecret blog is so popular; it's finally a way for people to let their secret out. I had a boyfriend once that had this big secret and when he finally told me I was, like... "Really? That wasn't so bad... let me tell you about the time I did this..." (Well, maybe that's over-sharing a little bit).lol

So I was thinking... why not just come out of your closet? Share something with us here that you want to get off your chest. Leave a comment... not that many people in the world read my blog. Or leave an anonymous comment. Come out of the _________ closet. Just say it: "I am a closet _________."

I was thinking, I really don't have anything that bad to tell. OK, I grew up listening to The Carpenters and still listen to them sometimes. I have a weakness for sherberts and gelato. I have a huge sweet tooth and love licorice and gummi worms.

Oh here's something: I guess I'm a closet blogger. I don't share my blog on Facebook. Well, I have maybe once or twice. But it's not something I tell everyone I know.

Clean out your closet. Come on out. Make some more room in there for stuff.

306

You may have seen this on other websites.
If not, watch it and let me know what you think:

"306" Short Film from Elliot London on Vimeo.

I love that there is not a single word spoken!

I'll give my opinion in the comment section as I don't want to influence anyone's thoughts about it.

Leave a comment.
Let me know what you think.

A New Kind of Random Question

Welcome to ‘The Question’.

That’s Stephen’s from ‘The State of the nation UK’ new project after the end of the ‘5 on the fifth’. Stephen poses a question to all bloggers each month.

The first one for January ‘12 is:

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?

There are a lot of things that went through my mind when I read this question and thought of answering it. There are a lot of things I wish I could do better. There are things that I wish would have gone differently. But what would I attempt and not fail at? Because some of the answers I know will be followed up with: "well, just go to it!"

I read this question and project yesterday... I know I'm a day late (and a dollar short, as my dad would say). But I finally thought of something I would do... and why I just don't go do it now.

My answer: I would go back to school and get a degree.

Probably in the medical field. Then I wouldn't be limited in options of employment.

So... why not do it now?

It has been 30 years since I was last in study mode and I don't have the financial means. But... if I knew I couldn't fail I wouldn't worry about stuff like that.

This was a very interesting question. I look forward to next month's question.

Stuff

What are our possessions? Just stuff.

I've been thinking about all the stuff that we acquire through our lives. Some stuff we need: food, clothing and shelter. But do we really need an excess of all of this stuff?

I have a nice home, it suites my needs. I have a guest room if someone is in town and needs a place to stay and an extra bathroom for them too. It's enough for me. I don't understand people who buy big homes with a formal dining room, a formal living room or a theater room when they really don't need it. Years ago at a holiday party I was given a tour of the host's home and there were about 3 "living" areas with a sofa and TV in each of them. Why? Would they really get bored in one area and want or need 2 more choices in their own home?

And clothing... do we really need to have the latest fashions? Do we really need more and more clothes? I can see replacing a pair of jeans or a shirt when they are worn out or get torn, but do we really need a walk in closet just as big as the bedroom in a home? I know... this is my area of weakness with all my shoes. I can only wear one pair at a time and do I really need a different pair for each day in a month? No!

Food is necessary. But we all seem to have this weird connection to food. People stress eat or eat too fast in their vehicles. Is it really necessary to gulp down some poorly made food just because you're hungry? And what about cooking? If something takes longer than 1 minute in the microwave some seem to get impatient. Why don't we enjoy cooking and savor the scents, the tastes and textures of a meal?

And then we have our electronic gadgets. I hate that whatever company with their 4G phone and the tagline: "that was sooo 38 seconds ago" commercial. It is so annoying! Do we really need to be "in the know" on stuff that fast? Do we really have to be condescending about knowing something a few seconds before someone else?

When is what we have enough?

I'm just wondering....

I'm here

I'm finally getting out of my mood from last weekend.

Work has been super busy.

I've only been to the gym one night this week.

Just lots of stuff going on.


Sorry... don't feel up to blogging much yet though.

36 miles

The weather was beautiful this weekend in Dallas. I got a chance to get out on the bike. Total miles ridden... 36.2.

I used the iPrecious app called Strava to track my rides.

This trail in Arlington is a combination of paved trails and off road. I went the wrong way, away from the dirt trails so by the time I got back there I was kinda tired.


This trail is the one closest to where I live and a fun one. There are 6 loops and I usually ride them in order. This time I rode 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and then 3. I was still feeling my oats so I rode loop 1 again.


The trail today up in north Dallas was muddy! I tried to go through an area that the map says is by a swamp... and it was horrid muddy! I had to wash the bike off when I got home.



I feel better when I'm outside. When it's just me and nature.

I draw energy from quiet and from peace.

Occasionally I'd hear some traffic or other people out hiking or biking. But I didn't have to talk to them.

I was not in a mood to talk.

It worked!

Y'all know that I hate talking about sports. But I couldn't help to watch for the score of a game last night.

A certain Denver football player has been in the news a lot for touting his religious beliefs and thanking god for his wins.

I think in this case karma won out. I really don't think any of the gods care one way or another over another about a football game! There are way more important things going on in this world to be concerned over.

In my opinion, who would even care about a bunch of overpaid people? And why should get this much attention at all is beyond me.

But here is a story that got my attention. It made me laugh: The Witches of Salem cast a spell to help the Patriots win. To try to bring attention to the media making a big deal about one guy's belief. Read about it here and here.
Patriots Vs. Broncos Final Score: 45-10




OK... so I'm bored and have been in a bad mood since Friday about all the stuff at work. This post just proves it.

Sorry, hopefully I'll be back to normal soon.

Hope y'all are having a great weekend.

Friday the 13th

I'm not superstitious.

Friday the 13th has usually been a lucky day for me.

Today started off good enough... I took the day off and with Monday a bank holiday this gives me a four day weekend! Woohoo!

Up until I get that call from the office.

UGH!

Well... on Tuesday I'm going to add an hour to my time sheet, if I was working I at least should get paid for it!


What is superstition anyway? Old wives tales, folklore, bizarre beliefs,
taboos, omens, lucky & unlucky things. And why the number 13? The building I work in doesn't have a 13th floor. Why is this a weird thing? I googled it and nothing made sense. Stuff from various religions and world cultures.

I guess it's just one of those things that can't be explained... just like a lot of things in life can't be explained. Or why co-workers suddenly have issues when I try to take a day off.

Who knows...??

The story behind the photo

Thanks for all your awesome captions! At the end of this post I'll name my favorite.

Now... on to the story behind the photo:

This photo was taken at the Sherwood Forest Faire near Austin. The fairgrounds have a main gathering area with large stones in a circle. It's called "The Seven Sister's Stone Circle". (embiggen the picture and you'll see it better)

Last year on the Spring Equinox the owners opened the fairgrounds after hours to let the people who camp (patrons) in for a bonfire. There was a drum circle and people (including me) were dancing around the bonfire. During the day a woodland faerie (or elf) is sitting atop one of the stones. That's him in the photo.

My friend Liz and I were talking to said woodland faerie. He was bragging that he is the only one 'allowed' on the stones; they're 'his'. Liz and I looked at each other with the same thought... that sounded like a challenge!

Oh my god! There I was...
at 2AM; very drunk and on climbing up onto the top of the stone.



Take that woodland faerie!


And the caption that made me LOL:


Theaterdog:
Oh my god there I was about to disrobe for a great shot, and someone came up the sidewalk.

Cuz I almost did... heehee! Liz wanted me to and I almost did, but I was too drunk and didn't want to fall in the process. If I had disrobed first I would have scratched things on the way up.


So there you go... and now you know!

Caption this

Here's a twist though... your caption must have this phrase in it:

"oh my god, there I was...."

I'll tell the story behind the picture later, but I want to see what y'all think was happening.

Weekend Stuff

Wow! The weekend seemed to fly by.

It started out slow. I opted for a nap on Saturday and just did laundry and laid low. You need days like that...

I finally got into the shower and out to eat, then headed to a party. It was a great party! There were a few friends there and a lot of people I had never met, so I made some new friends. Most of the people at the party belong to a group I may join. They're mostly atheists and free thinkers. I like people who have different thoughts and ways of looking at things that are different than mine. I had some great conversations.

This morning while drinking coffee and looking at PostSecret I thought I'd better get off my butt and do something (since I had a very lazy Saturday). But taking another nap sure seemed like a nice option too....

I decided I better get back out on the bike for a ride since the weather is nice. We haven't had rain in a while so the trails are not all muddy. I rode for 8 and half miles and loved it. Once I got home I decided to treat myself to another visit to the spa. It was sooooo relaxing! I feel great. And my skin is baby soft too!

Hope y'all had a great weekend.

Smelly stuff

Thank the Gods that this week is over!

I'm pretty sure the antibiotics I got are working... I'm getting my sense of smell back!

For as long as I can remember I have had allergies. My sinuses were always blocked and this affected my sense of smell.

I first noticed it this morning when I decided to put a bit of cinnamon in my coffee. I could actually smell it before I tasted it. (And I think it enhanced the taste of it too)

I went back to my doctor for the 2nd shot of whatever it is, I couldn't say or spell it for the life of me anyway... This dose was more potent and more of it. My hip ached all day. But I headed to the gym after work where I could tell that my sense of smell was returning. You know... some sweaty men actually smell kinda nice... it was making me randy. LOL

Then this evening I ate at a favorite restaurant. A place that specializes in enchiladas. Now that I'm home I just noticed that my clothes smell like a big enchilada! A big sweaty enchilada (I didn't shower yet after my workout) OOPS.

Well... happy Friday y'all.

Resolutions

I have really been thinking about the kind act done for me the other day, the guy (and fellow biker) returning my wallet to me. It has firmed up my resolve to "pay it forward".

This makes me think about New Year's Resolutions.

For several years now I have had a theme to live by rather than a list of things to do.

This year the things I'll be working on are: Be more confident and compliment people more.

So far... so good.

This made me LOL!

Sharp left turn

I woke up this morning at the same times as any other day.

Showered, shaved, dressed for work. Got to work, then remembered that my doctor wanted me to come in to discuss something that I forgot about last week.

On christmas day I started sneezing. I thought it was because of my friend's cat. I'm very allergic to cats. I was still feeling puny on the 26th so I laid low. Went to the doc on the 27th and got some antibiotics for the sinus infection.

I get a lot of sinus infections.

Here's the part I almost forgot. Ms. doctor took a culture (a swab) from inside my nose. The results were back and she wanted me to come back into the office.

At about 9:15 this morning she handed me the results and began explaining to me that sometimes the e coli bacteria gets into the sinuses. I would be getting a shot of a new strong antibiotic and a prescription for another.

Back at the office the boss tells me to leave. Apparently I'm very contagious but the antibiotic should kill the bacteria in about 24 hours.

The weird part is; my sinuses feel fine. I feel fine... I've been feeling better since last Friday.

What just happened?

This came out of nowhere.

I've researched this on the internet and cleaned my house, really well. Now everything smells like clorox and lysol.

You never know when life will take you in a completely different direction.

Book Stuff

You know back around the middle of December I said I started a new book. I wasn't sure if I liked it...

I just finished reading it.

I guess I did like it.

Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden

It was really good!

Now I'm at that place where I loved the last book so much that I don't want to get into the next one.

I went to Half Price Books yesterday for several hours and came home with four new ones. The one I'm reading now is small, only 250 pages. I just hope that I can get into it.

Lost and Found

It felt great to get out on the bike trails yesterday. The first ride of 2012.

However when I got back to my vehicle, tired after the eight mile ride, I was horrified to find the little pack under my seat where I put was wallet was empty! Somewhere out there in the 8 miles of track was my driver's license, credit and debit cards, my insurance cards, extra keys to my vehicle and home... everything. Gone.

I was due to meet friends out for dinner and knew I had to get home to shower and then to drive up to the suburbs. I immediately called to cancel my credit and debit cards, the rest would have to wait.

I made it to the dinner and had a nice evening. My buddy offered to ride the trail early this morning with me to look for it. We hit the trails at 8AM and had no luck. But, that's life... I just have to deal with it. :-(

It made me think of other times I have lost things. Big things. Phones, keys, cash... losing things is a part of life. We can let it beat us down or we can deal with it. I wasn't going to let this little thing affect my year. I was not going to say: "oh great... what a way to start the year!" I just started planning and doing what I needed to do to take care of things.

I installed new locks on my home. I didn't want to come home from work to find an empty house since someone now knew my address and had my house key! I was deciding what to do about my vehicle when I hear my doorbell ring.

A guy and his daughter stood at my door. He told me that he found something of mine yesterday. He handed me back my wallet! He restored my faith in humanity.

I think I'll add a new "New Year's Resolution": Pay it forward.

New Year's Stuff

I spent New Year's Eve with some great friends!

First at a Korean spa and sauna with some dear friends. It was great! I had a body scrub that kinda hurt.... but it was followed by a massage. Then I soaked in the jacuzzi and visited each of the 9 unique healing sauna rooms. Each had a different theme and several had crystals that I also believe have a special healing power. Here is their website. I first thought it would be a 'bathhouse' type place, but it s traditional Korean family place with in a restaurant that was great! I loved a section where they had heated floors. What a relaxing day!

The evening and New Year with brought in with many friends at the little wine bar that friends of mine own. It was nice to spend time with friends that I've had for many years! We all talked about how we need to get together more often through this new year.


And finally... my tarot card for January
The Three of Wands

The 3 of Wands is an auspicious card; one which tells me that the choices I have made previously will come to fruition. But I must wait patiently for my "ship to come in". Plans have been set in motion but cannot be rushed. It will be a month where I can pursue artistic ideas that represent an intrinsic part of me.

Happy New Year y'all!