Happy Llamas!

Not mine, but the original source on Facebook has been lost to me.

Lammas is on Wednesday.  I am feeling particularly goofy right now.   And feeling inspired by llamas for Lammas.  Lammas llamas.  Fuzzy Lammas llamas.  And funny Lammas llamas.  Lammas lammas duck?

Don't hate.  You know you're laughing, and you'll be thanking me later when you realize it's been stuck in your head all day lo... oh.

Lammas chant coming your way later this week!

Monday Music Break: Vacation edition

As you know from my quick post last week, I am taking a vacation down the shore this week.  So here's a beachy little ditty that I've always loved - "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys.  Not a pagan artist, but right now I don't care - it's my vacation darnit :)

Or maybe you prefer the Muppets' version?

See you all next week!

A quick check in...

Hey folks!  Things this week are a bit hectic, as I am leaving next week for a week down the Jersey shore (Not that Jersey Shore.  I'll be in Ocean City, which is in south Jersey.)  Vacation, ahoy!  I haven't had a real vacation this long in several years, and I need the break very badly.  I am spending this week getting ready for vacation and making sure all is wrapped up at work, so I'm sorry I missed this week's Monday Music Break.

I've scheduled a quick post for next Monday morning (hopefully it works - I've heard the scheduler is failing for some people), and will return with lots of photos and videos - and who knows, maybe even a tutorial or two about ocean magick!

Another 30 before 31 update

It's been a few months, and I've knocked a few more things off my 30 before 31 list.  So, I guess that means it's time for another update!

#6 Get a new primary care physician 
#7 Get a rheumatologist

#8 Get back on migraine meds

After months of hemming and hawing, I finally booked an appointment with a new doc for today.  She's really nice (as are her staff), and everything was very efficient.  Bonus - she's right down the street from my house.  The best part was the lack of waiting - I didn't have to wait months for an appointment, and I barely had to wait to see the doctor (at my last doc, I would typically wait 2-3 hours, even with an appointment.  It was ridiculous and disrespectful of my time.)  New doc and I had a chat about my migraines, and she agreed to put me back on Topomax and fiorocet, with a promise that we would revisit if the fiorocet didn't do its job on my emergent headaches. She also tsk-tsk'd that I didn't have a neurologist.

She also asked if I had a rheumatologist, which I don't.  I put #7 on my list since I thought it would be helpful, but after chatting with the new doctor and thinking about it, I think I'm not going to pursue it for now.  There wasn't much my last rheumatologist could do, other than prescribe drugs that didn't work and repeat the same old nonsense about exercise.

And one, and two, and streeeetch!

#17 Look into acupuncture
I found out my health insurance covers it now.  Score!  Now to find an acupuncturist who is in my network.

#27 Grow my hair long again
Well, it's growing.  Slowly.  Right now it's down to about the bottom of my shoulder blades.


#29 Start an indoor herb garden
I got a kit for Christmas, and planted it a couple of months ago.  So technically, I started the garden and completed this goal.  Unfortunately I think my talent for killing plants has struck again.  It's looking very, very sad.  The thyme and rosemary are already dead, and the basil is not too far off.  The parsley is doing okay, but I'm not holding out much hope for the long run.

Monday Music Break: Lisa Thiel

Jack and I saw Brave last week, and to my great delight it was an atypical princess story.  I really enjoyed it! It was also great fun to immerse myself in a fictional depiction of old Scotland.  So in honor of Merida and her super-red, super-curly, super-awesome hair (seriously, I'm jealous), and also in honor of my Scottish ancestry, here's a pretty little instrumental ditty called "Scottish Highlands Song" by Lisa Thiel.

Monday Music Break: Bill Laswell

Image from innerviews.org

This week's music break is a song called "Nothing" by Bill Laswell and featuring Lori Carson, from Bill Laswell's City of Light project.  I just heard this song on the latest A Darker Shade of Pagan podcast and I knew instantly I had to share it.  It is so very mellow, and entrancing.  I feel like it would be amazing to meditate to.  And the intro gave me goosebumps.

There was nothing.  There was nothing at all, either moving or non-moving.  It was dark everywhere.  There was no sun.  There were no planets, no stars, no moon.  There was no day, no night.  There was no sound, no touch, no smell.  There was no form, no taste.  There were no directions.  There was only pure reality.  There was nothing at all.  Not graspable by mind or senses or speech.  There were no planets, no stars, no moon.  There was no day or night.  No sound, no touch, no smell, no form.  Without change.  Only pure reality.