| Southern California here I come... |
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| 03:59pm 13/10/2009 |
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Lorrie already posted most of this information on her blog, so if you've seen this, apologies, but the two populations don't entirely overlap, so here's my schedule in L.A. for any of you who might be able to drop in on an event and say hello, or have friends who might be interested.
Thursday 15 October, 8:00-10:00 PM - LASFS @ Clubhouse
I've been hearing about the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society for years, but have never actually been there. They want me to say something intelligent. How bright I will be after driving down from Berkeley I don't know, but years of doing SF cons has left me able to think on my feet. Come and ask questions.... Address: 11513 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601-2309. Doors open around 7:30, meeting starts between 8:15 and 8:30. There is no cover charge to attend this event. For more information, see the LASFS website, http://www.lasfsinc.info/
Friday 16 October, 4:00-5:00 PM - Book signing @ Cauldron Kitty
This is a lovely little shop in the Silver Lake area of LA where my mother once lived, much more serious than the name would imply. 2818 #1 Rowena Ave in Silverlake, between Hollywood and Downtown.
Bring books and I'll sign them. They'll also have them for sale.
If you're interested in the Oracular Seidh workshop (see below) you can sign up there, though they'd rather you got in touch with them now.
Friday 16 October, 7:00-10:00 PM - Oracular Seidh - $5
We will be performing oracular seidh to kick off the workshop weekend. I'm not sure when doors open, but they will close, promptly, at 7:30 PM . This is open to anyone with questions, even if you are not doing the workshop.
Seidh will be held near the USC campus, at a private home, so you'll have to call the bookstore for the exact address: (323) 644-0268. We'll debrief afterward over food.
Saturday 17 October, 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Sunday 18 October, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM: Trance Workshop!
I believe there is still room in the workshop. Participants are expected to have purchased, and read, /Trance-Portation/ before attending the workshop, and are strongly encouraged to have attended the oracular seidh the night before. There will be meal breaks, but food is not included in your registration.
For more information, including whether there are any spaces left, call Cauldron Kitty at (323) 644-0268. The workshop will be held at a location rather near the USC campus; call the bookstore for more details.
Sunday 18 October, 5:00-7:00 PM, Book Signing @ Alexandria II, Pasadena
The signing is at the Alexandria II Metaphysical Bookstore, 170 S Lake Ave in Pasadena. For more information, see the bookstore's website, http://alexandria2.com/
Monday 19 October, 7:00-9:00 PM, Lecture and Signing @ Borders, Brea
Another chance to buy books or get old ones signed, at Borders Books, 429 S Associated Rd in Brea. Their phone number is (714) 672-0120.
Tuesday 20 October, ???, Book Signing in San Diego
There's a possibility I'll be at the Borders in San Diego that evening. If it pans out I'll post the info here.
Hope to see some of my SoCal friends soon.... |
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| An even earlier Eve.... |
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| 12:17pm 12/10/2009 |
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mood:  thoughtful
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As in ancient ancestress, not evening.
Last night I happened upon the BBC Discovery Channel special on Ardipithecus, the earliest hominid for which a fossilized skeleton has been found-- a young female nicknamed "Ardi", unearthed in the Middle Awash valley in Ethiopia. They were expecting the missing link between humans and chimpanzees (our closest primate relative), but instead found a new creature with unexpected characteristics.
If I remember correctly, they were:
a pelvis that indicated she walked upright, and human-type hands which were not adapted for knuckle-walking, but feet with a splayed big toe that could grasp like that of a chimpanzee;
small, human-type canine teeth, rather than the large canines chimpanzees and other apes use in mating displays and fights.
An analysis of related fossils showed that ardipithecus lived in a woodland, not a savannah.
A multi-national collection of scientists took ten years to analyze all the data, which upset the theory that humans evolved on grasslands where they needed to be upright to run fast. The current theory, which I have to admit offers support to some of the feminist theories I have seen, goes like this--
Smaller canines indicate less aggression, especially when there's less difference between the size in males and females.
If males weren't fighting over mates, maybe that means females were fertile all year around instead of coming into estrus seasonally, and males and females pair-bonded instead of simply mating.
Females preferred males who could help them feed their young.
It's a lot easier to transport food through a forest if you can stand up and use your forelimbs to carry it.
And that's why humans are bipedal.
Among other things, this theory would suggest that we are somewhat less hard-wired for aggression than we thought, especially over sex....
For more information try: http://www.sciencemag.org/ardipithecus/, or
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/10/01/ardipithecus-we-meet-at-last/
which has a drawing. |
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| And the number nine ! |
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| 11:13pm 01/10/2009 |
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September was Odin's month this year (with a few exceptions, but that's another blog). Of course 3 is one of his numbers, but with all those 9 days and nights stories in his history, 9 has become even more significant. On 9-9-09 Hrafnar celebrated with games featuring the number nine and a blot to Himself. Most of the month was taken up putting together the next issue of IDUNNA, and since this was #81, it obviously had to be dedicated to him. It has been ten years since the previous Odin issue, after all. I'm really pleased with the contributions we got for this one-- some wonderful poems and excellent articles.
I'm also really jazzed because the need for a cover motivated me to clear off my worktable and get out my paints and START PAINTING again. The first picture didn't quite work--technically ok, but it wasn't nearly active enough to convey my sense of Odin. The second one was much better--
Not perfect, of course, but now that I'm set up, I expect to do more.
On the last day of September, the printed copies arrived, and with the help of some Hrafnar folks, Lorrie and I got nearly 300 envelopes stuffed for the Troth. Sent it off this afternoon.
My first "close encounter" with Odin was more than 20 years ago, now, and the connection is still strong. But it's been awhile since I've had an excuse to focus on him this completely.
Oski, this one's for you.... |
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| Happy Birthday Greyhaven |
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| 09:05pm 28/08/2009 |
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mood: accomplished
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In 1909, a Colonel of Marines stationed on Treasure Island built a house for his family on the then almost empty swatch of El Camino Real in the Elmwood area of Berkeley. In 1971, our family moved in, at that point consisting of me, Don, Ian (age 3), Paul and Tracy, Fiona (age 2), Mom, and David Bradley. Today the personnel consist of me, Ian and Elizabeth and Evan, Michael and Arael, Nancy and Astrid, and Melissa and Suleiman. A lot of people have lived here over the years, and it has been the setting for lot of writing, rituals, music and dancing, laughter, and occasional shouting.
Somehow, both we and the house have endured. None of us are likely to make 100, but the house has done so, and so tomorrow we're honoring the achievement with a birthday party from 2 pm to whenever....
I'd be delighted to see any of my LJ friends who would like to drop by-- 90 El Camino Real, Berkeley CA 94705. Come, share the munchies, and admire our new paint job.
Cheers,
Diana |
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| In Memoriam |
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| 02:39pm 27/08/2009 |
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mood:  morose
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I really don't like summers when every week or so I hear that someone else is sick.
In addition to Teddy Kennedy, this week, two of the people I have been praying for passed on. The first was the youngest daughter of one of my cousins, Jessica Lliteras, age 30, who had been battling cancer for several years. The second was Ann Braude, a room mate when I was in grad. school and notable SF/Fantasy fan, who died of intestinal sepsis after several very painful weeks. In both cases, it had to be a welcome release from pain.
I knew Jessica mainly through her mother, the closest of my cousins on my father's side. They are all staunch Evangelical Lutherans who really do live their religion-- the kind of people who give Christians a good name. Prayers were asked, and since I believe in doing unto others as they would do for themselves, not as I would have them do for me, I put out a prayer to Jesus. I got the sense that he really cared about her, but neither my prayers nor those of several Christian congregations produced a miracle. She does seem to have been the kind of person whose courage inspires others, and it's clear that her life enriched life for those who knew her. My sorrow is for her mother-- to lose a child must be the worst of griefs.
Anne was a brilliant, witty and knowledgeable fan, and an excellent writer, who will be deeply missed by all her correspondents. For her, I was talking to Kuan Yin, my fallback deity for healing, or "the best possible outcome". According to reports, Anne was not lucid very much after she went into the hospital, but she did make it clear that any life that did not allow her access to her books and her cats was not acceptable, and that's what she would have been condemned to if she had survived. She was fortunate in having devoted friends, Bruce Arthurs and Hilde Hildebrand, who visited her, fought the system to get her care, and will probably have to sort through a house crammed with books and papers to settle her estate.
By the way, can I put in a plea to everyone to make a will? If you don't have the kind of property that requires a formal legal document, at least write down your wishes about funeral services and the like, and some directions on distribution of things like books and religious items, so your heirs don't end up cursing you instead of mourning? I even have a checklist-form for such things that I will be happy to send to anyone who asks.
Meanwhile, enough, already! Everybody who's sick, get better, and if you're well, please stay that way!
love,
Diana |
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| 11:34pm 08/08/2009 |
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Hooray for Inda!
Sherwood Smith’s Inda, that is, the hero of a meaty four part series whose concluding book, TREASON'S SHORE, just appeared. I picked up the first volume, INDA, at a MythCon a couple of years ago, but didn’t get around to reading it until last year. I was immediately hooked, and rushed out to find the second book, THE FOX, and then had to wait for the third book, KING'S SHIELD. When I finished rereading them all earlier this summer I had a feeling it might be time for the fourth, and was delighted to find it available for pre-order on Amazon.
So why all the enthusiasm? Sherwood has been writing for a number of years, and she’s not nearly as well known as she ought to be. The Inda books are everything you want from a fantasy series—an interesting, fully-developed world with several languages, environments, and cultures that are evocatively described, a complex but not confusing plotline with a number of unexpected twists, really well-written action scenes, and above all characters whose lives you follow and whose fates you care about. She includes all the elements needed for a good solid fantasy, and deals with all of them in original ways.
In TREASON'S SHORE, all the favorite elements from the earlier books come into play. There are scenes at the training academy and a long sequence with the (ex)-pirates. Sherwood does great sea-battles, something you don’t often see in contemporary fantasy. There are no cop outs and no easy answers, but the ending satisfies. What makes this book a worthy conclusion to the series is its focus on character. “Character-driven” too often means a preoccupation with the internal drama of people who weren’t that interesting in the first place. In TREASON'S SHORE, the developing conflict between Inda and Evred, two characters whom we have come to love, transcends the physical conflict with the enemy, and we realize that even more important than winning the war is winning the peace. In the end, the real victories come not through physical strength but through communication and love. |
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| Trance workshop at East West Bookstore |
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| 10:53am 02/06/2009 |
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If you know anyone in the South San Francisco Bay area who is interested in trance work--
On Thursday evening, June 4th, from 7:30-9:30 p.m., I will be presenting
a workshop on trance at the East West Bookstore in Mountain View.
This will be a live introduction to the skills covered in Trance-Portation.
For anyone interested in learning how to move into altered states in a controlled,
safe and effective way, the workshop will be an opportunity to try it out with
some backup. This would be especially good for anyone who wasn't able to get into the trance class, but would like to work with the book.
Those with more experience are welcome to share techniques. If you are in the trance class, you can come and kibbitz.
The address is 324 Castro St., Mountain View CA 94041, and their phone
number is 800-909-6161 if you have any questions. The event is free.
I'll look forward to seeing some of you there. |
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| Baycon – already? Wow! |
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| 04:38pm 18/05/2009 |
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mood:  amused
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Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess. This spring has certainly whizzed away. First I was busting my buns to finish Sword of Avalon, and then Turquoise Scepter started eating my brain, not to mention the manual for the Troth Clergy Program. And there was Pantheacon, and recovering from Pantheacon, and a trip to LA and a workshop in Chicago….
All of which I should have reported on, but I was too busy doing them.
And now it’s time for Baycon.
For some reason, they have put most of my events on Sunday. That’s all right, I’ll take the laptop that Lorrie refurbished for me and work in the room. Or maybe even go swimming on Saturday…
Anyway this is where you'll find me at the convention.
The Friday night meet the guests thingie, and maybe some of the dances...
Birds of a Feather: Westria
As it happens, I have been working on the sequel to The Golden Hills of Westria, even though I don’t have a contract. Because it HAS TO BE DONE. Since they don’t seem to have given me a reading, I’ll probably read something from that. The working title is The Turquoise Scepter. The book does start in Westria, but a lot of the action takes place in Elaya (southern CA), and Aztlan (Southwest), especially since I just got back from a trip to LA for the Nebulas, and some lovely days staying with Bonnie and Tim Callahan, old friends from the Mythopoeic Society who are expert in southern California geography, geology, and flora. (Sunday, 10:00 AM)
The Ecology of Cloud Cities
I get to moderate this one, which means if I don’t have any ideas myself I can ask lots of questions…. (Sunday, 11:30 AM)
I Kissed a What!?
No this is not about my love life. I have the interesting task of moderating a panel on the resurgence in supernatural romance, a subject on which I haven’t written anything myself (unless you count gods). But my son Ian’s on it too. Does this mean I get to find out what he’s been kissing? (There are some things mothers were not meant to know) (Sunday, 5:30 PM)
Writing for the Long Run
Having just seen Star Trek, I’ve been thinking about what happens when earlier books constrain what you can do with later ones. My brother-in-law Paul Edwin Zimmer solved this problem by writing a series of prequels. Tolkien just kept revising. Ideally, you have a story arc with room enough for surprises. (Monday, 1:00 PM)
Reading?
I notice that only a few readings are listed. If they do end up giving me one (they haven’t sent out panel announcements to the authors yet), I will be reading from Sword of Avalon, for which I just turned in the revisions. This is the one with the sexy bronze-smith in it.
And don’t miss—
If they haven’t given me much to do, at least my nearest and dearest are well–represented.
Jon DeCles, aka ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) jon_decles.
When the Last Paper Dies (Saturday, 1:00 PM)
Reading – Probably from Storm Wars, which is just out. We’ll have copies.
DonJon reads really really well, so be prepared for a treat. (Saturday, 5:30 PM)
Iron Poet – this should be fun…. (Sunday, 11:30 AM)
Ian Grey aka grendel_todd
It's Not Cancelled, It's a Comic (Saturday, 5:30 PM)
I Kissed a What!? See above. (Sunday, 5:30 PM)
The Light and Dark of Superheroes (Monday, 10:00 AM)
Lorrie Wood, aka lwood (For Lorrie’s inimitable comments on these panels see her blog)
The Zombies Are Coming! (I thought that was after Trothmoot…) (Saturday, 11:30 AM)
When the Last Paper Dies (Saturday, 1:00 PM)
Floating Islands and Lost Cities in History and Literature (Monday, 11:30 AM).
See y'all there.... |
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| Got a question? |
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| 08:52pm 10/11/2008 |
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mood: cheerful
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We have answers....
If I am going to put this in my blog, I guess I need to provide some explanation for the many who will have no idea what I'm talking about.
Way back in 1990, I started working with the survivors of the first rune class to recover the oracular practice of the Viking period, known as spae or oracular seidh. I worked out a ritual based on elements from the Eddas, the account of such a ritual in the Saga of Eric the Red, and the journeys to Hel described in Saxo and elsewhere.
A year later, we tried it out at Ancient Ways, and we've been presenting this as a service to our larger pagan community ever since. We work every year at Pantheacon and four times a year we have smaller gatherings at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists hall, on the corner of Cedar & Bonita in North Berkeley (on Cedar between Shattuck and MLK). This is near the Downtown Berkeley BART station, and the 7, 9, and 18 local AC Transit lines.
As in ancient times, people ask questions about relationships, livelihood and decisions, as well as ancestors or the gods.
Tomorrow evening, Tuesday, Nov. 11th at 7:30 p.m., we'll be there. If you are in range, or know someone who would be interested, encourage them to come.
You can find out more at our seidh-related website, seidh.org.
- Diana |
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| Research |
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| 09:50pm 09/11/2008 |
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A number of years ago I was at a SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) cocktail party at some convention—one of those affairs where we all stand about with drinks in our hands either complaining about our publishers or trying to sound more successful than we are. I fell into conversation with a (male) science fiction writer who shall be nameless, mainly because I have forgotten his name. What I do remember is his observation that of course I, as a writer of fantasy, didn’t have to do research. Presumably unlike science fiction writers, who regularly write about faster-than-light travel and societies which have somehow retained contemporary military ranks centuries into the future, on an unlimited number of earth-like planets. I forget what I replied—I think I was too stunned to say much—but the conversation ended shortly.
So let me tell you about the research that as a fantasy writer I don’t have to do. I particularly noticed this today because my upstairs ethernet is not cooperating, and in order to access the internet I had to tromp down two flights of stairs to the office machine.
In order to write half of Chapter Seven (of SWORD OF AVALON, which takes place at the end of the Bronze Age), in no particular order, I needed to know:
--The native range of cedar trees
--The location of prehistoric copper mines in the British isles, and the dates during which they were worked.
--The date of the earliest European coinage.
--The shapes into which early tin ingots were cast.
--The types of ships built and used in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic littoral, and the British Isles.
--the names and characteristics (if known) of pre-Celtic Iberian cultures
--the language of Tartessos (related to no known European language, by the way)
--early trade routes for copper and tin
--how ingots were packed for shipping
--the contents of a bronze-smith’s toolbox
I already knew what Penzance and St. Michael’s Mount look like. I’ve been there.
Even five years ago, that much information would have required a search through the bookshelves in our library (which currently is filled with my nephew David's furniture and inaccessible anyway) and a trip to the UCB library, and several points at which I would have waved my hands and hoped, or decided I didn't really need to include that detail anyway. In fact, many of those details won't appear in the book because they would result in what I call "creeping footnotism", and bog down the narrative flow. But in order to know what information not to include, I have to know what it is.
Did I mention that I love the internet? |
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| Liberty and Justice for All |
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| 12:57pm 30/10/2008 |
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My, what an exciting week. Samhain and Elections - as Swedish musician Erik Ask-Upmark observed at the Draam concert last night, it's hard to say which is the most scary. There is, however, a way to combine them--
As you call on the ancestors this Samhain, pay some extra attention to our American heroes and heroines, who fought for liberty and justice in their various ways, and surely have an interest in preserving them.
At the Spiral Samhain celebration next week (Tuesday Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Fellowship hall on Cedar & Bonita-- Spiral observes the quarter and cross-quarter festivals at its "Gateway" series, on the first Tuesday of each month), Charline Palmtag and I are going to be calling on the Founding Fathers and a selection of other American notables from Abraham Lincoln through Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King. Just because they're dead doesn't mean they can stop working. Unfortunately today's conflicts are actually evidence of continuity in American culture. The moment the British left, the factions that are still fighting sprang into being. Washington's genius was his ability to balance them. So as the American ship of state wallows through the currently troubled waters, hang on.
The immediate problem, of course, is the election--not so much who is going to get the most votes, but whether all those votes will be correctly counted. I'm willing to bow to the will of the People, but I want to make sure that the published results in fact express it.
My plan for the next week or so is to spend some time every evening visualizing Lady Liberty shining her torch across the land. As that light penetrates every dark corner, it banishes fear, confusion, and deception. I ask her not only to inspire people to vote for the laws and candidates that will be best for the country, but to illuminate the vote-counting process so that the true will of the people is known.
If you like this idea, spread the word. The more of us who hold that image, the more powerful it will be.
God(s) bless America. |
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| Hard Times |
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| 03:51pm 10/10/2008 |
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mood: amused
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It's a song and a sigh of the weary.
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door.
Hard times, come again no more.
Stephen Foster
It's been awhile since I've posted-- I apologize. I meant to continue with reports on the Greek trip, and I do intend to get back to that, but I am most motivated to write here when there's something I need to say. As I watch the stock market tumble and my savings diminish, the chorus of the Stephen Foster song keeps echoing in my head, I always thought that was a Depression song, but it goes back to the 19th century. Hard times come in every era, and eventually good times return. The trick is to make it from one era to the other.
Those of us who were raised by parents who grew up during the Depression already have a clue about how to survive. For those of you whose parents grew up during the 50's and 60's, here are a few thoughts on the subject.
Of course, today, Global Warming and the Energy crisis complicate the issue. Or do they?
The more I think about it, the more it seems to me that the remedies may be complementary. Whether we are trying to save money or the environment, we need to make the most efficient use of resources that we can, and support our local communities. Buying locally not only cuts down on the carbon load, it keeps the money circulating here. Given a choice, buy from companies that have not outsourced all their jobs.
But an even more basic strategy is to cut down on consumption across the board.
Instead of replacing appliances and other useful items, retain, recycle, re-use, repair. We can use our communication resources, such as LJ and chat lists, to find people who do need the things we can no longer use. People who know how to fix things are about to become very popular. Let us know who you are. We can decrease our dependence on the cash economy by trading skills.
The same energy- and resource-saving moves we were already making for the sake of the environment will also lower living costs. Getting more of our protein from vegetables and learning creative uses for leftovers will lower the grocery bills. Rather than driving somewhere to go hiking, I want to do more shopping by walking to the local grocery, which will support local business, save gas, and give me some needed exercise. Trade clothes instead of buying new. Repair and remodel - would anyone be interested in a class on mending?
I am currently being inspired in this quest by the discovery of a new goddess, or rather a new path of a Power I already knew about, Oshun Ibu Kolé. This is the path of Oshun whose peacock plumage was burned into that of a vulture when she flew up to beg Olodumare to lift the drought with which he had punished everyone for thinking they could do without him. She appears as an old woman by a muddy river, also associated with sewers and toilets. She is the one whose white dress yellowed because she washed it so many times. Her name, depending on the translation, means "Spirit of the River who Transforms", or "the one who takes out and brings back the trash and dust". In other words, she's the perfect deity to invoke for recycling.
The other day she and I had an interesting exchange. I was going to get a new piece of cloth to wear when I danced for her, but somehow, I couldn't quite make up my mind to buy it. It occurred to me that I ought to ask her what she wanted. The information I got was that I should recycle some other garment, like the fringed scarf I inherited from my nephew David, who just passed away, and add a little decoration. When we had finished that part of the discussion, she told me to go down and empty the garbage.
What I didn't know was that the refrigerator repairman had arrived to try to fix the freezer so we wouldn't have to buy a new one, and my son had taken out all the packages of food that had been freezing and thawing for variable amounts of time. Including quite a lot of meat. So when I got downstairs I was presented with a bucket full of such packages. These days, the Berkeley recycling system allows us to put food scraps in with the yard trimmings. Thus, the immediate sequel to my conversation with Ibu Kolé was to hand over several pounds of spoiled meat for composting. I cannot imagine a better offering for the Oshun the Vulture! Sometimes the gods make themselves very clear.
Vulture beak, vulture beak,
Doing what you must,
Takin' out the trash, recycling our sorrows,
Beauty from the dust.
Burning wing, burning wing,
Fly and bring the rain.
Old witch woman, by the muddy water,
Give us hope again. |
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| Don’t Fall Off the Mountain |
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| 10:47am 04/08/2008 |
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(with apologies to Shirley Maclain, who wrote a book with that title, in which it referred to her trip to Peru in search of enlightenment)
The thing that nobody tells you about Greece is that it is vertical. Culturally, the country may be ancient, but geologically it is very young. Most of the coastline rises sheer from the sea, with occasional beaches that shelve off steeply. It is easy to believe that these are the mountaintops of a drowned land.The country consists of mountain ranges with plains between them. Here is what the Argive plain looks like from the mountains between it and Lakonia.
The flat, arable land is limited, and over the centuries the Greeks have gotten very good at terracing, sometimes on extremely sheer slopes. If you flattened out the mountains, Greece would be the size of Europe. Here's our little car in front of the mountains farther in. If you look closely you can see a herd of goats, the animal that makes the best use of this terrain. From a distance the landscape looks a lot like places in Southern California and the Southwest, but on closer examination the vegetation, though equivalent, is different.
( Read more... ) |
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| Never on Monday |
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| 11:30pm 27/07/2008 |
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mood: accomplished
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(It has been brought to my attention that some of you may not be familiar with the film Never on Sunday starring Melina Mercouri. In that case, do go out and rent it. It will be a good introduction to the Greek spirit as well as explaining the title of this post.)
So, as those of you who have friended my husband already know, we spent a month in Greece. Since he is reporting as a sequential narrative, I’m going to try and extract the essence in some essays. If you want the chronological version, you should friend him at-- jon_decles
For the most part things went well. We saw:
- 30 temples,
- 11 acropoli (cliff with citadel atop it, as in “The Acropolis”)
- 3 battlefields
- 5 stadia
- 7 theatres
- 9 museums
Greece has a lot of museums, and many of them are open. The major archaeological sites have museums attached to them, and many towns have their own museums as well. Because they mostly close on Mondays (I suppose the staff have to rest sometime), it helps to have something else to do on that day. Go to the seashore. Not every exhibit has a label, but they are in both Greek and English. Mostly. For some museum reviews and pictures, see the rest of this post.( Read more... )
Things We Have Learned about Greek Museums, #1:
- Most museums are closed on Mondays.
- Most sites close at 3 p.m.
- Many small museums may be closed. Period.
- Most museums will let you photograph the exhibits without flash.
- Some museums will not let you pose with the statues.
- Museum snack shops charge double what you would pay in town, but the food is usually good.
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| Westria sings! |
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| 12:29am 28/05/2008 |
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mood: artistic music: Jewel Songs
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So, we're all back from Baycon at the new site in Santa Clara. It was a pretty good Con-- interesting panels, amusing GoHs, good Art Show, and an astonishing array of booze at some of the parties. Although in most ways the hotel was quite good-- especially the free and abundant parking and the restaurant, the rooms were a surprise-- apparently furnished from IKEA, measurably smaller than those at the Doubletree, with double instead of queen beds and miniscule closet and bathroom space. Trying to fit the Greyhaven contingent in was...interesting.... only made possible by the fact that Elizabeth (my daughter-in-law) can sleep anywhere. We hummed "Norwegian Wood" a lot.
I had asked for a "birds of a feather" space to do a release party for the new CD. This turned out to be the patio between the pool and the barbecue, which could only be reached through the bar, so many people never figured out where it was. On the other hand, it was nice to be outdoors in the sunshine. Margaret and Kristoph were there, and did some of the songs. We had an amusing moment when Kristoph sang "Are you the meadowlark..." just as an airplane flew over. Guess I'll have to write another verse for the song!
This is the CD I've been burbling about periodically all spring. Margaret and Kristoph have done a wonderful job. My favorites are "Marana", which has some very original and evocative harp accompaniment as well as Margaret's lyric soprano, and "Bird of My Heart", in which she sings descant to Kristoph's excellent rendition (without airplanes). The "College of Bards Choir" comes through very well.
I have copies of both Jewel Songs and The Wandersong for $15 each, postpaid. If you'd like one, let me know. Expect to see more here soon--MP3's and sheet music to download, liner notes to peruse, and maybe even a more efficient way to order it!
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Read 5 - Post |
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| Westrian wanderings |
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| 05:38pm 05/05/2008 |
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mood: ecstatic music: The Wandersong
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For the past month I've been doing my best to immerse myself in the Bronze Age, but lferion came to town for CostumeCon, and since she is one of the most enduring and dedicated of Westria fans, talk naturally turned in that direction. In fact she came up with a character who will undoubtedly appear in the sequel to The Golden Hills of Westria, which I really must get started on one of these days.
Did I mention, by the way, that the remaindered hard copies of The Golden Hills of Westria did arrive? They are available for $20 (includes postage). I'd be happy to send you one (really happy, the boxes are still stacked in our front hall because I can't figure out where else to put them). Send me a response with your address and I'll let you know where to send the money.
I also finally got the CD's for The Wandersong printed up, which is worth the $15 for the cover alone, featuring donsimpson as Silverhair with Mt. Tamalpais in the background. Those are also available, same deal as the book. Margaret and Kristoph are almost done with the sequel Jewel Songs (songs from the four Jewel books, featuring the College of Bards Choir). They just sent me MP3s of some of the songs, and this one will be even better. Margaret has the perfect voice for some of the more lyrical pieces, and Kristoph sounds like Silverhair. I am working on putting the sheet music up on the Westria website.
Speaking of which, the other thing that lferion did was to ask if we could go to the Kingdom of the West's Coronation Tournament to see Elis step up as Queen. Given that Westria is where I turned my energies when I realized it wasn't fair to use real people in the SCA as my artistic medium (I had this odd idea that my characters would be easier to manage), and given that one of the premises for Westria is that a lot of SCA people would have survived the cataclysm and contributed to the resulting culture, going to a tournament is rather like visiting Westria, especially when it is in Mendocino, one of my favorite parts of California.
The site was gorgeous, the weather was gorgeous, the people were gorgeous, and I had a wonderful time. A lot of old friends came out of the woodwork to honor Elis, so it was something of a reunion as well. I took some pictures there (and on Hwy. 1, which we took north), and was sufficiently inspired to actually process them and get them up on the Westria website. In fact I got so inspired that I went through all my photos for the past two years and added quite a number to the galleries for Seagate and Las Costas. Have a look and see for yourself!
In the course of digging I got to the shots from a roadtrip with our houseguests for this year's Pantheacon across the southern borders of the Royal Domain to the sea and found this, which may be the best photo I have ever taken.Enjoy!
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Read 1 - Post |
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| Return to Fernwood |
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| 09:02pm 25/04/2008 |
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mood:  grateful
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As many of you already know, Steve Abell got the ball rolling to go down to the old Fernwood campground for an impromptu minimoot on Earth Day weekend. The grandkids really missed those campouts, so we loaded everybody up and trundled down. To our relief, the improvements, far from destroying the site, have actually improved it, being much more esthetic than the old trailers that used to be parked beside the meadow. Our old sites by the river had not been disturbed at all, except that the decaying BBQ pits have been replaced by nice iron ones. The new cabins cannot be rented yet, because the camp failed to get permission before building them. If they ever are, they might actually make the site *more* usable than it was before, as they have electricity, kitchenettes, and enough beds for at least 4 people each, if they're friendly. Thus they would be able to accomodate people with "nose hoses" and visitors from out of state.
Most remarkable (beside the temperature, which, with wind chill, made the fires VERY welcome), was the welcome we got from the spirits of the place. I think we all had a deeper connection with the place than we knew, and it felt like coming home.
For pictures, see the gallery on the Hrafnar site. |
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| Teahouse of the April Moon |
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| 10:48pm 21/04/2008 |
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mood: calm
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Those of you who know my husband, jon_decles -- will probably at some time have heard the saga of the once and future teahouse that he has been building at his place on Cobb Mountain in Lake County. Jon has been studying tea at the Urasenke School off and on for about forty years. Along the way he has collected a number of certificates and an amazing variety of tea equipment (and tea ceremony surpasses any avocation I have ever encountered in the number and variety of tchotchkes one must collect to properly play). He started building the teahouse when he and Kelson moved to Lake County, and work has proceded in stops and starts for many years.
But as of April 17th of this year, the teahouse is officially open. My grandson Evan and I drove up for the full-dress kaiseke (food) and tea (thick and thin) ceremony that formally inaugurated it. It was quite an experience.
The building is tucked away among the manzanita and pines, and though the color scheme is evocative of Frank Lloyd Wright, the details are a graceful amalgam of native Californian and Japanese. Despite the red plaster work, the building is remarkably serene. Evan wants to build one in the back yard.
Jon did a heroic job of putting the event together, especially since his helpers were unable to be present, and he had to cook, set up and serve the entire 14 item kaiseke feast alone. Working our way through this took all afternoon. We had an intermission to allow him to reset for the actual tea ceremony. By the time this was ready it was dark, but we got in some portable lights that gave a very chiaroscuro quality to the room, which added to the solemnity of the occasion. The tea was in two phases. In thick tea, the powdered tea is mixed into a frothy substance about the thickness of a smoothy, which tastes sort of like green tea ice cream without the sugar and cream. It's an acquired taste. This was followed by thin tea, which is a little more familiar. Each, of course, requires a different set of implements and bowls. All were beautiful.
By the time we were finished, it was a quarter to ten. But the tea kept me wide awake for the two and a half hour drive back to Berkeley. Thank you, love, for a beautiful experience.
For a full set of pictures, go to my gallery of teahouse photos.
With luck, Jon will find the time to write up his own account of the day, or at least give me the proper names for all the utensils.
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Read 9 - Post |
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| They're Young But They're Daily Growing |
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| 06:03pm 05/04/2008 |
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mood: contemplative music: Happy Birthday to You
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Today the twins (my grandchildren Michael and Arael) turn twelve. Their brother Evan is thirteen and a half. How did this happen?
Seems like yesterday they were in a playpen, following the action around them with an alert stare that always reminded me of the velociraptors in Jurassic Park. Not evil, just very, very intent. Now every time I turn my back they seem a little taller. I, of course, have not changed at all.
At birth, Arael was sweet and smiling and Michael frowned. Today, his ambition is world domination and hers is apparently to become a pirate. Perhaps at Wendy's Lost Girls Pirate Academy. They can do more things with a computer than I can.
No one is perfect, but I can say that on the whole they have been a joy to live with, mostly cheerful, reasonably cooperative, and capable of carrying on intelligent conversation. They've been great children. Adolescence looms-- even now I get the occasional glimpse of the teenagers they will soon be. My prayer is the prayer of any parent or grandparent-- grow safe and strong, grow into your potential, try not to blame us too much for making such a mess of your world.
Michael and Arael, Happy Birthday to you !
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Read 6 - Post |
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