Kevin Doberstein flute music blog

It makes perfect sense. These past few weeks my life has started to mirror my college life, but instead of school I have a job, and my homework is part of my extra-vocational activities. The first thing I want in the morning is a coffee the size of my head, and the last thing I want to do is cram my freezing toes into sensible but lusterless shoes.ugg boots on sale“> UGGs make the day easier. The walk from the bed to the kitchen is warmer, the drive to work in my still freezing car, clutching my coffee in hope, is made more comfortable by the fuzzy fleece encasing my feet. And my long days are made endurable when I wiggle my toes in the most comfortable boots my feet have ever known.

ugg new styles“>UGGs are my beacon of hope on the cold mornings when I would love nothing more than to crawl under the covers and sleep the day away. I would say that those students in the sweatpants and Classic Tall’s might be on to something: if you’re going to be sleepless, stressed and overworked, might as well be comfy!

As a Pagan I tend to look for children’s books which shy away from the usual perceptions, portrayals, and stereotypes usually associated with witches.This is not an easy task. Either I find a typical “wicked witch”, or I might find a green-faced wart-nosed witch with a good heart. Alternately, I might find “regular people” portrayed as having supernatural powers. I have yet to find a children’s book which portrays a Witch outside of all of these stereotypes, so I settle for books which are enjoyable reads, convey an overall positive message, and along the way seem flavored with something of the true heart of the beliefs that I call home.

“Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” ~ Wizard of Oz

At first glance Alice and Greta, subtitled “a tale of two witches”, by Steven J. Simmons seemed to be no more than the usual good witch vs. bad witch story. I could just hear Glinda in her unnaturally-lilting voice.

But, upon glancing through the text, I immediately purchased it. And (gasp!) even paid full price of 6.95.

Do you use white magic or black magic?

I’ve been asked this question more times than I can count over the years. And while my response is not always understood I always give the same answer – magic is neither black nor white, the energy tapped into is the same whatever the purpose, it is the intent behind the magic which makes the difference.

This book actually illustrates this point. Alice and Greta are two witches, each attending Miss Mildred Mildew’s School of Magic and growing up learning the same magic, the same spells, the same chants. However, they used that magic differently.

We have yet to try this, though I admit I am highly curious. My first exposure to the concept that acorns were fit for human consumption came from reading the book Tree Medicine Tree Magic many years ago.

More recently it came up in a conversation with my husband. Hubby and I have a dream to own our own home on a rural plot of land eventually. In pursuit of this goal, which will probably take many years, we have decided that one way to work towards it is to collect information. Additionally, we both have to start deciding exactly how far we would be willing to take a “live off the land” mentality, especially as we are both predominately tech-geeks.

We have yet to try this, though I admit I am highly curious. My first exposure to the concept that acorns were fit for human consumption came from reading the book Tree Medicine Tree Magic many years ago.

More recently it came up in a conversation with my husband. Hubby and I have a dream to own our own home on a rural plot of land eventually. In pursuit of this goal, which will probably take many years, we have decided that one way to work towards it is to collect information. Additionally, we both have to start deciding exactly how far we would be willing to take a “live off the land” mentality, especially as we are both predominately tech-geeks.

Got this in an email and thought it interesting enough to share.

The year is 1906. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes!

Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906:
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had NO college education! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as “substandard.”
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

While not specifically a Pagan book, it’s theme and lesson would certainly be welcomed by a Pagan parent. I am sad to report that the edition of the book on our shelf is now out of print. However, sometimes you can find it seeling from third-party sellers via Amazon.com

The Story in Summation

A long line of men, all named Mordreth, have reigned over a land. A land where people have lost their connection to the earth, to nature. A land of famine and disorder and hatred. The reigning King Mordreth has been killed in the hunt, his fair wife has died while giving birth to his heir. Luckily she sent for a wise and learned friend before the end and placed her babe into his care until he was of an age to reign. The Ancient One took the child, Amor, up to a castle, deserted for 100 years, at the summit the mountains to raise with love and to teach the ways of a King.The Ancient One taught Amor wisdom by having him observe nature and the animals. Amor learned to honor and respect everything in the world around him. He learned the uselessness of fear and anger.When he reached his 20th year it was time for him to rule his kingdom. He left his home of light and beauty and entered a world of filth, poverty and fear. He could have returned to the mountain, but did not turn away from his people. Instead he thought of a way to help them find their way back to the light.Years ago a bird brought him a seed of a glorious blue flower. He remembered the joy it gave him to plant it, see it grow, and marvel in its beauty. King Amor proclaims a law in which every man woman child and babe must plant the seeds he will give them, and help them grow. Those who do not own land, may plant them anywhere there is free space. In a year he will go across his land to make sure that the seeds have in fact been planted by all.

1. “I never meant to cause you any sorrow,
I never meant to cause you any pain”
Purple Rain

2. “Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it’s time to sing along
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)”
Everybody Hurts

3. “Tomorrow there’ll be so much to do
so tonight I’ll drift in a dream with you”
Lullaby

4. “Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?”
Landslide

5. “It’s the heart afraid of breaking That never learns to dance
It’s the dream afraid of waking That never takes the chance”
The Rose

6. “So many dreams I kept deep inside me
Alone in the dark but now You’ve come along”
You Light Up My Life

7. “Sometimes I wonder, where I’ve been.
Who I am, do I fit in?”
Out Here On My Own

8. “She paints her eyes as black as night, now
Pulls those shades down tight
Yeah, she gives a smile when the pain comes,
The pains gonna make everything alright”
She Talks To Angels

9. “I’m so tired of being here, Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave I wish that you would just leave”
My Immortal

10. “Here comes the rain again falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again becoming who we are”
Wake Me Up When September Ends

11. “Spend all your time waiting for that second chance.
For a break that will make it okay
There’s always some reason to feel not good enough
and it’s hard at the end of the day ”
Angel

12. “Laying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I’m wondering what you’re dreaming wondering if it’s me you’re seeing”
I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

I got this deck a few weeks ago but waited to do a reading with them until my visit Mama Kelly (which was this past weekend).

The cards are lovely photos of various crystals and gems, some raw, some polished, some gem quality. They are simple and uncluttered images. The only reference to the Tarot on the card itself is a simple line reference on the bottom naming the Tarot card the gemstone card relates too. The small booklet that comes with it gives the meaning of the gemstone pictured on the card, the tarot interpreation, and shadow aspect (we assume this means reversed meaning – but that is not stated the booklet).

I enjoy the deck for its imagery and glad to have it as part of my collection, because I just love crystals and stones. However, I don’t really relate to it as a tarot deck for a reading (but perhaps more as an oracle deck using 1 to 3 cards). Mama Kelly and I agreed the deck offers a wide variety of magical uses. The deck would also be useful as a “flash card” study device to learn the various stones.

Tis the season for those outdoorsy loving types to get all geared up and pitch a tent in some remote area away from all the busy hubbub of daily life. I am one of those such outdoorsy types. Although I love the city, there’s nothing like being outside with nature and silence, taking in the fresh air and green forests of the Pacifiic Northwest. As I was contemplating where my next camping locale will be I had another thought, “I should really get a pair of UGG boots to go camping!” Talk about the perfect solution to chilly nights and having to wander out of your tent in the dark half asleep to find an outhouse. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hazily fumbled around with laced tennis shoes while trying not to knock over my tent or step on my partner in just those such situations. How nice it would have been to just slip on a pair of ugg boots on sale“>UGG boots; warmth and ease! I think a pair of ugg new styles“>UGG classic shorts in chocolate would be perfect. A nice dark color so they won’t get dirty easily out in the wilderness and they blend in with the woods! I think i may have figured out my next purchase.

Well I handed in my take-home mid-term and my paper on the Board of Education meeting I attended on 2/27/07. I am certainly hoping to get A’s on each, or high B’s at the very least. I certainly feel that I met or exceeded the stated requirements but as I tend to do I am stressing a bit. Mainly because these will be the first graded items we will receive back from this teacher and so I do not know how strict he is when it comes to grading.

In related news … half of tonight’s class simply didn’t show up, presumably because THEY didn’t finish their assignments. The teacher expressed frustration and disappointment on more than one occassion about the poor turnout tonight. I really felt for him.

He is older than I am … I would place him in his early 60s … and has obviously been in the field for a long long time. On the days he holds classes at the college he puts in 14 hour days. I can understand why he’d be frustrated at absenteeism.

Anyway, part of class was spent watching a 1989 video, The Truth About Teachers, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. It was both informative and inspiring.

While a bit out of date (quoted statistics obviously would no longer apply) it was wonderful to see teachers who made their classrooms a top priority in their life. The teachers presented certainly went above and beyond the requirements of their jobs every day … sacraficing time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears.

The video was comprised of brief glimpses into the classrooms of teachers, many in poor or underpriviledged school districts, who used innovative teachniques to overcome student apathy and learning difficulties.