Chasing the Horizon

Friends Only

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:48:53 GMT

I've decided to make this journal 'Friends Only'. For those of you new to LJ that means that only people on my friends list will be able to read the posts by default.

So, I guess this will be my last open post.

If you read my journal and either don't have an LJ or you want to be added to my friends list, you can post here and let me know where I know you from and I'll add you.

Keep in mind that I'm not online as much as I used to be, so you might be waiting a while for a response.

I do still have an open journal that feeds to my Facebook - It's on Wordpress @ phaetalon.wordpress.com/

AC

Bored? Looking for a Blast from the Past?

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:40:52 GMT

Well, my past won't stop blasting me ;) Behold the latest updates to the Sacred Mists scandal that I stopped caring about a year ago - http://phae-talon.livejournal.com/302026.html

I Be Famous

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:48:12 GMT

I am constantly amazed how my words work their way around the web. I was just about to add a new post to my Wordpress journal, and while parusing any new comments needing approval and seeing what kind of traffic I'm getting in between posts. Since I have 3 or 4 blogs attached to my Wordpress account, my dashboard also shows me traffic of interest related to those blogs as well.

The one that always seems to get the most attention is Pagan Perspectives. Just today, I found this linkback to my article blog - http://www.paganconnection.org/pagan-resources/internet/2008/06/29/popular-pagan-blogs/

While I haven't updated my Pagan Perspectives blog in some time (roughly 9 months or so), seeing things like this make me want to get back to writing articles again. Though, I think that since I have been spending so little time online, my perspective may have changed a bit. I'm not as in touch with what is relevant to the Community anymore.

I think that what I might need to do to get back to writing is to maybe shift my focus. A little less about my opinion on popular topics and maybe a little more on the things that are important to me now. I guess we will have to wait and see.

-PT

Beltane Menu

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:57:35 GMT

I think I mentioned before that I am going to start redoing my website - finally. The part I want to start with is the Sabbat celebrations. I sort of missed out on Ostara because life sort of got away from me that week. I did make a nice dinner, and got some great pics, which I will post later. Not Ostara party calibre, but a good start.

What I am focussing on now is Beltane. I want to do a bit of decorating and have a nice big meal as well. So, to start, I am going to want to plan out the menu, and I am coming to my trusty FList for some suggestions.

What are some of your favourite foods/drinks/etc to indulge in on Beltane. What sorts of decorations/crafts do you usually use to make your space festive?

-PT

Writer's Block: Change for the Better over a Decade

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:14:51 GMT

How are you a better person today than you were ten years ago?

What Kind of Boots Are You?

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:46:07 GMT

You Are Riding Boots

You are very sophisticated. You have refined tastes, and you don't fall for cheesy trends.
You are naturally chic and stylish. You can pull together a great look in no time flat.

You don't need a lot of flash or bling in your life. You prefer the glamour of the understated.
You treasure wisdom. You are attracted to ideas and things that have stood the test of time.

What Kind of Boots Are You?

Stolen from Sonic -

While those don't look like my favourite boots, I would probably still wear them. They look comfy ;)

-PT

I iz a Kollij Stoodint! Again!!

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:53:32 GMT

I've registered for the next of my photography classes! Yay! I am so excited!

-PT

Ask and Ye Shall Receive!

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:39:11 GMT

For behold! I am the All Seeing, All Wailing Queen of the weather faeries! My armies of wind and rain have come to banish Old Man winter from our shores!

The dreaded Frost Bite shall be dragged on his knees before me to face my terrible wrath! And I shall decree that the condemned will be locked in the closet until about mid-June when we need him to hold the popsicles and ice cream!

Woot!

-PT

I was promised Global Warming!

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:29:32 GMT

So, where the hell is it?? It should be rainy and windy in mid-March - it should NOT still be snowing! WTH!! I am going to hunt Old Man Winter down myself if this doesn't let up soon.

Grrr

-PT

New Look - New Name

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 05:19:13 GMT

I think I may have found a template that I can use to remake my website. It's simple, clean and artistic - and it has minimal flash. It's shocking how few website templates seem to be designed for a variety of personal content. There are lots and lots of page designs for photo/art portfolios and plenty that are designed for blog content (and then there are your average business-style sites). But very few combine the two and allow for something that isn't just a general overview of the hobbies of the site owner.

Any template I use will have to be altered. Hopefully, I can keep the alterations to a minimum - I prefer to not have to learn a lot of coding and do a lot of graphic-work to get what I need.

Ideally, I would like to hire someone to design a custom site just for me, but that is a lot of money that I don't have to spend on something like that right now. Maybe after I've completed my photography courses and have a business to advertise.

I think I am going to integrate my wordpress blog into the site. I am going to keep the articles, book reviews and the sabbat celebration sections. I might get rid of the BOS section, though. I'm not as into the educating the newbie masses as I used to be. I don't mind sharing my opinions and the outer trappings of my practise, but a lot of the rest has become something that is not really for public consumption. I'm not really looking to create a tradition or gathering followers.

Along with the new look, I think I'll need a new name for the site. 'Into the Land of the Phae' is kind of fun and kind of whimiscal, but I think it's also indicitive of a much younger me. The new site is going to be more visual, more modern, more reflective of where I'm at now in my life. I think I need a title that will reflect that - something shorter, sleeker - something memorable.

Anyway, that is the plan as it stands now. How fast it comes together depends on how calm life decides to be for the next while. Hopefully, the snow of last week is the last we will see this year. It was up to about 10C today and sunny. It was great! I didn't realize how bad the cabin fever was until I was actually outside and running around.

Yay for spring!

-PT

Websites and Such

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:59:40 GMT

So, we are finally starting to sort ourselves out at the new house, and our month of utility deposits and poverty is nearly at an end (payday is just 2 days away!!!). In that time, we've had a lot more time for things like cooking and getting our movie server all set up (especially because we lost the remote for the DVD player and it can't be used until it set up again, which requires the remote). And now our beloved server Tuna can host websites in addition to all its other nifty tricks.

This has me inspired to spend a little time working on my photos and getting a new version of my own website going. Now that I have a decent kitchen, I can start making my Sabbat Celebrations section pretty - crafts and recipes are alway better when there are photos of what you should get at the end.

I think I will start with the Equinox. I was supposed to have a housewarming party then, anyway (though, who knows if that will actually happen).

Gotta run back to work now. More later.

Yay!

-PT

Because Twitter is Made of Suck Today

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:46:49 GMT

I have to post my quick news the old fashioned way. Anyways - my herbs have sprouted!! French lavender and what I think is thyme, but it could also be sage, I forgot which was on which side. Yay! Plant babies!! In spite of the stupid snow!!

Granted, they are indoor plant babies, but they still count as spring! I might take a picture when I get home today :-D

-PT

Buh???

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 02:47:47 GMT

I had a few hours to kill yesterday, and I thought I would catch up with LJ a bit. And this is what I found -->

Christian-izing Salt is Just Not Kosher

According to Examiner.com , a retired barber Joe Godlewski was getting sick of seeing so many television chefs gravitate towards kosher salt that he said: "What the heck's the matter with Christian salt?" and has created his own Blessed Christians Salt to compete.

Riiiiight. Because the kosher salt thing is totally an attack on Christianity. Personally, I prefer a nice smoked sea salt, but seriously - Christian salt?? Geez.

--PT

Packing, Sickness and Stress

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:55:17 GMT

Oh my!

Bleh.

I have the worst chest cold in the world ... still. I have also found out that I am very contagious, or at least I was. I made half my office, my brother and WD sick without even trying. Mwahahahaha! All shall suffer with me!

I hope it clears up soon, though, I need to get this move in gear. On payday, I have a mountain of things that need to get done. Gotta get a new cat carrier, pick up food and litter, make an appointment at the vet to get the girl kitty fixed, get more packing supplies, make a Sally Ann run, pick up the mail forwarding pack from the post office, get more food/cold meds/etc, and find time for a clinic visit to get a refill on my asthma meds.

I am hoping that I have enough energy to get at least half of it done. Sometimes I think that the worst part of a cold is when you start to feel better, and want to get back to your normal routine, but have absolutely no stamina at all.

This is SO the worst time for me to get sick - and for WD to get sick. If one of us was well, we coud pick up the slack for the other, but when both of us are sick, then nothing seems to get done. Which is bad when there is less than a month before we move.

Enter the stress. Ugh.

Did I mention that I hate moving?

--PT

New Year New House

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:32:51 GMT

My New Year's tarot spread was 4 of Wands, 10 of Wands and the Fool. Which for me was both encouraging and oddly familiar as well. I know that at roughly mid-year I tend to hit a point where I know I have started too much to keep up with.

I need to work on that, I think. The trouble is that I get excited about new projects and ideas, and I forget to pace myself. This leads to overburdening.

On the more immediate future front - we have found a new place. After 6 years, we are finally moving out of this 'temporary' apartment. Our new place is a 3 bedroom townhouse. It's not in New West, which is a little sad. I am going to miss my town, but Coquitlam is a nice town too.

I am very excited about finally having a decent sized place. I am also a little nervous about moving. I have wanted to move for so long, but we have managed to stay in one place for a fairly long time. I guess now it is just about getting through it.

I am glad that we have time to get everything together before moving, since I didn't actually make it all the way through the winter with being sick. Chest colds are the worst when you have asthma.

All in all, I think that 2009 is going to be a pretty exciting year. I might even get my last credit card paid off. Yay for being steps closer to freedom from debt!

--PT

Snowed In

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 00:54:18 GMT

And looking to waste a few hours. The Holiday Family Gathering Thing doesn't start until the 26th, so I am asking my friends list for some advice.

Where are the active forums these days? I'm looking for a bit of friendly Pagan/Witchy conversation. Nothing too deep and nothing too airheaded - I am hoping to just find somewhere where people are not terribly argumentative, but do think about things and have a few years of actual practise (as opposed to Paperback Priestesses) under their belts.

Know any place like that?

--PT

Enforced Reflection

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:26:14 GMT

The lovely Pacific Northwest has decided to take a page from the interior. It is snowing like ... I don't even know what it's like. I haven`t seen snow like this since I lived on the island.

It's been coming down almost non-stop all week. The salt trucks can barely keep up with it. I drove our new/old little car one day and that was enough for me.

It's really strange. This will be the first white Yule/Xmas we've had in a really long time. And we are supposed to be moving at the end of next month. I hope it stops snowing by then.

And while I don't feel particularly festive or spiritual, I am excited for a new phase in our lives. A new apartment or house. A new year. New possibilities.

I have been very hermitish for a very long time. I haven't even been reading LJ regularly anymore. I feel a little disconnected, but it isn't really a bad feeling. I think I might have finally purged myself of giving a damn what other people claiming to be Pagan/Wiccan/Witches do - which is a good thing, I think.

I am still addicted to those silly Dragon things - a strange habit I am trying to break.

I have also started knitting again. After a $100+ trip to the yarn store, I started knitting a new sweater (check it out on Ravelry, if you're interested). The snow has made me much more eager to finish it quickly. I am ready for spring now.

--PT

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:38:55 GMT

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

This year I've been busy!

Last Thursday I caught a purse-snatcher who stole magick_pearl's purse (30 points). In May I gave pregnant_niamh a Dutch Oven (-10 points). In November I gave lillyxandra a life-saving blood transfusion (50 points). In September I gave popeseasons a wet willie, then I took it back (-5 points). In February I put money in lupabitch's expired parking meter (14 points).

Overall, I've been nice (79 points). For Christmas I deserve a Sony Playstation 3!

Sincerely,
phae_talon

Woot! Now, if Santa can help me decide between the ipod touch, the PSP and the iphone, I will be all set for gadgetry!

--PT

I Wanna Play Too!

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:59:55 GMT

Memeage stolen from Everyone - I are a lemming ...

So --> If you saw ME in a police car, what would you think I'd been arrested for?

--PT

Tarot Deck

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:55:31 GMT

Paging dbmyrrha !

Did you ever get the tarot deck I sent to you? It was this one -->

I have had bad luck shipping things to LJ peoples in the past.

--PT

NO MORE

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:29:00 GMT

No more spin doctors. No more mud. No more promises that can't be kept. No more lies. No more sensationalist bullshit. Political debate stops here.

I cannot express how sick I am of hearing about the US election from every media outlet there is. I don't live in the States. I didn't vote.

In my attempt to escape the daunting monster that is the US Political Machine, I have delved into entertainment that cannot be corrupted with up to the minute results. Books! Specifically, a new book that I picked up on our way to Mexico - Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris. This is a sequel to Chocolat (which is one of my most favourite books and movies), and it is fabulous :)

I have read a few of Joanne Harris' books, and I am always enchanted. When I went to the bookstore two weeks ago, I wanted something to read that was more down to earth than what I normally read. I didn't want any fantasy creatures or magic or paganism or politics or anything other than an entertaining story about people.

In the summers of my teenage years, I would spend hours in the library picking out tales of stories that, were they movies, would be considered 'Chick Flics'. Stories about people, families and secrets. I've found some surprisingly good stories this way. Blackberry Wine and Chocolat were among these.

I think that the relaxation of being away from home and work, coupled with the reminder that magic exists outside of religions, and politics and infighting, and expectations (even those we make of ourselves) is what has given me such an incredible change in outlook from only a few weeks ago. Once a Witch, always a Witch. I can feel that through and through now.

I felt like I was falling into a hole ... or off a cliff. I was shuffling my cards yesterday. Just shuffling and letting the movement empty my mind. The Fool fell out of the deck. A new journey. A new beginning. I'm not afraid of it anymore.

Oh, and here is my picture for the Meme:

Here is to the life outside of politics.

--PT

I Feel Revitilized!

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:43:39 GMT

Mexico was great! We had so much fun. More on that later with the pictures.

I really needed this vacation. I feel so different even after only a week. I missed BC and my kitties and my brother and friends. But being away really helped me to put some things into perspective.

I feel refreshed and vibrant in a way that I haven't felt in a really long time. I can see myself and my place a little better now, though I don't think that things will go back to being the way they were before.

I'm a little worn out still from last night's Welcome Home party, so I am gonna write more later.

While we were gone, my little purple egg turned into a big dragon that I have named Violet Beauregard:

And I have finally gotten some of my dragons to mate successfully! Here are the new little eggies:

Nighty night guys - more to come later.

--PT

I iz Artist

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:48:12 GMT

Your result for Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test...

Spatial

16% Logical, 67% Spatial, 37% Linguistic, 10% Intrapersonal, 18% Interpersonal, 35% Musical, 27% Bodily-Kinesthetic and 24% Naturalistic!

"This area has to do with vision and spatial judgment. People with strong visual-spatial intelligence are typically very good at visualizing and mentally manipulating objects. They have a strong visual memory and are often artistically inclined. Those with visual-spatial intelligence also generally have a very good sense of direction and may also have very good hand-eye coordination, although this is normally seen as a characteristic of the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include artists, engineers, and architects." (Wikipedia)

Take Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test at HelloQuizzy

Impressionism is teh Pretty

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:46:26 GMT

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

2 Impressionist, -11 Islamic, -5 Ukiyo-e, -8 Cubist, -6 Abstract and -6 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

News From New West

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:31:58 GMT

09:23 It's countdown time! In 8 days I will be packing for our midnight flight to warm sandy beaches. And not a moment too soon ... brrr! #

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