Ok, the 6 teas a day ritual continues forward. Although I didn't have all these teas today, I did drink a lot of chai, my favorite flavor of all time, so I figured a run down of some chais I've had was in order.
Zhena's Gypsy Tea- Coconut Chai
Delish! It's very sweet and has a really spicy bite. You almost have to put some milk in this to cut the piquancy, but that's better than fine because the milk compliments the coconut flavor. A novel blend and very rich. Very recommended.
Zhena's Gypsy Tea- Chocolate Chai
LIke the coconut, this one is a big winner. I mean, what marketing son of God finally brought these two flavors together!?! This blend is smoother and not quite as spicy as the coconut. It has more cinnamon in it too. More unusually, it has a rooibos base instead of black tea which actually works great as the more robust, earthy flavor of the red tea goes seamlessly with the chocolate notes. I'm so glad something as cool as "gypsy" tea is as awesome as it sounds. There is no way not to love this tea.
Teavana - Mate Samurai Caai
This is a confusing tea which isn't too surprising since I have n idea what the "samurai" part is about. It's has the familiar strong, earthy, almost tinny taste of mate plus a whole lot of cardamom. It also has a strong, woody, resiny note almost like pine. This tea is more pungent that your usual mellow, winter spices and is better with just sweetener and no milk. Probably an acquired taste for some.
Teavana - White Chai
The delicate white tea flavor is so subtle that the spices really dominate this blend. The strongest flavors are clove and lemongrass. This is a tricky tea since white tea is notoriously heat sensitive and the tart note makes me unsure whether more milk or more sugar is necessary. Surprisingly, it is also good when mixed with the mate and strongly sweetened with no milk.
Tazo Chai
Much better than when you get the syrup at Starbucks. It's a pretty straightforward chai with a strong black tea flavor and an even balance between cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and cardamom. It's good with no milk or sugar, but even better with honey and milk.
Stash-Chai Spice
Also a pretty straightforward chai. If I had to choose I'd go with the Tazo, but that might be because I like their packaging better.
Stash-Green Chai
Something about this brand's tea bags always has a musty taste, but I might be the only person that can taste it (Long story, I have a unnaturally strong sense of taste). Nevertheless, it's a pretty good tea. Ginger is primary spice which goes well with the grassy taste of green tea. It already pretty sweet and surprisingly creamy so I'd only add a splash of milk and a little sweetener. I'd like to compare it to the Republic of Tea's green chai which I haven't had yet. I feel like green tea is not the intuitive choice for chai, but maybe RoT can prove me wrong.
Stash- Holiday Chai
The "holiday" flavors are listed as gingerbread and rum. I don't really taste the gingerbread, other than the ginger flavor that already supposed to be there but the rum flavor is very strong in good way. It cuts the sweetness and gives it a smokier taste. It would be awesome loaded up with lots of milk and sugar. Suprisingly good, although winter teas usually are.
Stash- Double Chai
More of a good thing? Maybe. If you like spicy tea or feel like milk dilutes your tea too much this might be for you. The extra spiciness comes from more cardadom and a dash of coriander. It's also pretty interesting plain if you love cinnamon and cardamom. Be careful of brewing it too long, it will get bitter.
Stash- Vanilla Chai
It's kind of a misnomer. It tastes closer to hazelnut coffee than chai, but I like hazelnut coffee. It's got a nice toasty taste and not too sweet. Also awesome with lots of milk and sugar.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Teatime
So in an effort to organize the tea cabinet (yeah, we have a whole cabinet full of tea) I'm trying consume all the stray begs, sampler sets, and almost empty boxes. This has led me to the totally pointless plan of consume as many kinds of tea as I can a day. So for the rest of the week I'm going to have a cup of green, black, and white tea every day. In addition, I'm going to have a mate, redbush, and herbal tea too.
I'm sure Starbucks is pissed I'm not directing this urge toward purchasing one of their new tea products.
I feel like since each kind of tea has it's own purported benefit, drinking one of each will have some kind of salubrious effect. Since the experiment began yesterday I have lost 2 pounds which is probably from drinking about three times as much water as I normally do. Or maybe the 1.5 hours of yoga I did. I also woke up bright-eyed and bushy tailed at 8 am! Many of you many regularly wake up at 8, but I usually get rolling around 9:30 and that's only when I set an alarm. If left to my own devices I get up after 11am. So that is kind of a big deal. I also had the mental alacrity to write css style sheets and html out of my head with no editor all day. Perhaps the mild caffeine boost medicated my low-level ADD?
However, I'm mostly suspicious of claims like that and just like tea so here is today's tea recommendation:
Republic of Tea - Yerba Mate Latte.
Yummy! It's smokey and chocolaty. It would be a good substitute if you can't bear another cup of coffee today. I almost always drink tea with no milk or sugar, but I bet this would taste like a fancy latte as the name suggests with some milk and a little sweetener. Mate has a lot of caffeine so beware before bedtime. Finally, it has a volcano on the tin which is always fun. Mmm, lava.
I'm sure Starbucks is pissed I'm not directing this urge toward purchasing one of their new tea products.
I feel like since each kind of tea has it's own purported benefit, drinking one of each will have some kind of salubrious effect. Since the experiment began yesterday I have lost 2 pounds which is probably from drinking about three times as much water as I normally do. Or maybe the 1.5 hours of yoga I did. I also woke up bright-eyed and bushy tailed at 8 am! Many of you many regularly wake up at 8, but I usually get rolling around 9:30 and that's only when I set an alarm. If left to my own devices I get up after 11am. So that is kind of a big deal. I also had the mental alacrity to write css style sheets and html out of my head with no editor all day. Perhaps the mild caffeine boost medicated my low-level ADD?
However, I'm mostly suspicious of claims like that and just like tea so here is today's tea recommendation:
Republic of Tea - Yerba Mate Latte.
Yummy! It's smokey and chocolaty. It would be a good substitute if you can't bear another cup of coffee today. I almost always drink tea with no milk or sugar, but I bet this would taste like a fancy latte as the name suggests with some milk and a little sweetener. Mate has a lot of caffeine so beware before bedtime. Finally, it has a volcano on the tin which is always fun. Mmm, lava.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Nesting
It's uncanny how Wiccan holidays sneak up on you. February 2nd was Imbolc (or the 1st or 5th depending on your calendar). It's a Celtic cross-quarter holiday and one I often gloss over being that I am not of Gardenerian variety of witch. Nevertheless, it's a solid enough holiday, the vestige of it that you might recognize is Groundhog Day.
Imbolc, or Candlemas, is sort of a placeholder in my mind. The point between the longest night of winter and the vernal equinox in March when spring is really getting into full gear. As the groundhog tradition indicates, it's a time to start getting ready for spring and pace yourself through the vestiges of winter. It a holiday of spring cleaning, getting your house in order, beginning to put the winter items away, and starting the spring gardening.
So anyway, I totally flaked on Imbolc. I had some plans and totally forgot about them. In the meantime, I've developed and unhealthy obsession with finding an apartment-- a plan that cannot be set into motion until March or April. Regardless, I've been torturing myself by filling in floorplans like crosswords and gazing flirtatiously at large kettles imagining tea parties for a half-dozen and other such rituals for domesticating of a space. All month I've hungrily devoured interior decorating magazines, rabidly dogearing the pages with pleasing paint and exotic furniture. I even doubled the size of my herb garden in an afternoon. It wasn't until I was longingly stroking a seven foot framed mirror at Home Goods that I realized what was going on.
Brigid, the patron goddess of Imbolc, had her hands all over this frenzy.
I thought I had skipped Imbolc, but it clearly hadn't skipped me. Retracing my steps, February 2nd was, in fact, the very day I had inexplicably taken a sewing break to peek at apartments Craigslist.
That's kind of the end of the anecdote, I guess. It's probably more charming if you know your holidays or could see me pacing around World Market with utter covetousness in my witchy eyes.
Imbolc, or Candlemas, is sort of a placeholder in my mind. The point between the longest night of winter and the vernal equinox in March when spring is really getting into full gear. As the groundhog tradition indicates, it's a time to start getting ready for spring and pace yourself through the vestiges of winter. It a holiday of spring cleaning, getting your house in order, beginning to put the winter items away, and starting the spring gardening.
So anyway, I totally flaked on Imbolc. I had some plans and totally forgot about them. In the meantime, I've developed and unhealthy obsession with finding an apartment-- a plan that cannot be set into motion until March or April. Regardless, I've been torturing myself by filling in floorplans like crosswords and gazing flirtatiously at large kettles imagining tea parties for a half-dozen and other such rituals for domesticating of a space. All month I've hungrily devoured interior decorating magazines, rabidly dogearing the pages with pleasing paint and exotic furniture. I even doubled the size of my herb garden in an afternoon. It wasn't until I was longingly stroking a seven foot framed mirror at Home Goods that I realized what was going on.
Brigid, the patron goddess of Imbolc, had her hands all over this frenzy.
I thought I had skipped Imbolc, but it clearly hadn't skipped me. Retracing my steps, February 2nd was, in fact, the very day I had inexplicably taken a sewing break to peek at apartments Craigslist.
That's kind of the end of the anecdote, I guess. It's probably more charming if you know your holidays or could see me pacing around World Market with utter covetousness in my witchy eyes.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Who you gonna call?
So "Ghostbusters" was the midnight movie last weekend, and despite getting properly riled up about it two weeks in advance, I didn't really seriously contemplate making a costume until the day of. I KNOW, RIGHT? How could I be so remiss? Dressing up is what I do.
Actually it went down like this:
Me: (around 1pm)Um, if I make Ghostbusters costumes, will you wear one?
Meg: Wow, that's a real friend commitment. Will they be cute?
Me: Of course! Although I might not have enough time to make them....
Around 3 or 4pm I decided after a few minutes of web research I should get on this. Also, I wrote about the plan to dress up on my Facebook, and now HAD to deliver. I gave myself about 30 minutes to get to Joann's and back with a rough pattern, fabric, thread, and zippers. Meg opted for Venkman, I settled on Spengler.
5:15pm
I went about cutting out the pattern which was a piece of shit. It may have been the worse pattern I've ever seen. If you're wondering how a S-XL men OR women's costume can be finessed out of one pattern that answer is that it cannot.
This is not, by the way, the right way to cut out a pattern. Patterns should be cut flat on a hard, smooth surface but since I was free handing adjustments to the pattern as I cut this is how I did it. I also don't have a cutting table at my house. I also realized I didn't quite have enough fabric, but I just fudged some of the other pieces instead of making the jumpsuits into shorts. Because it's weird enough having to explain why you're dressed like a Ghostbuster without explaining why you're dressed like a SEXY Ghostbuster.
6:00pm-9:00pm
It took roughly 1 and 1/2 hours for each jumpsuit including the zippers, collars, and ironing. I made Jeff put together the ghost logo and name tag patches in AI, but I ended up have to tweak them and battle with the printer so it only saved me about 10 minutes.
9:45pm
Patches are on. Judicious use of fabric glue for hems and facings applied. All done!
The final result:
Oh wait, I mean the real final result:
Meg's got the nice, non-camera phone pics so you'll just have to be patient, yucca plants.
Actually it went down like this:
Me: (around 1pm)Um, if I make Ghostbusters costumes, will you wear one?
Meg: Wow, that's a real friend commitment. Will they be cute?
Me: Of course! Although I might not have enough time to make them....
Around 3 or 4pm I decided after a few minutes of web research I should get on this. Also, I wrote about the plan to dress up on my Facebook, and now HAD to deliver. I gave myself about 30 minutes to get to Joann's and back with a rough pattern, fabric, thread, and zippers. Meg opted for Venkman, I settled on Spengler.
5:15pm
I went about cutting out the pattern which was a piece of shit. It may have been the worse pattern I've ever seen. If you're wondering how a S-XL men OR women's costume can be finessed out of one pattern that answer is that it cannot.
This is not, by the way, the right way to cut out a pattern. Patterns should be cut flat on a hard, smooth surface but since I was free handing adjustments to the pattern as I cut this is how I did it. I also don't have a cutting table at my house. I also realized I didn't quite have enough fabric, but I just fudged some of the other pieces instead of making the jumpsuits into shorts. Because it's weird enough having to explain why you're dressed like a Ghostbuster without explaining why you're dressed like a SEXY Ghostbuster.
6:00pm-9:00pm
It took roughly 1 and 1/2 hours for each jumpsuit including the zippers, collars, and ironing. I made Jeff put together the ghost logo and name tag patches in AI, but I ended up have to tweak them and battle with the printer so it only saved me about 10 minutes.
9:45pmPatches are on. Judicious use of fabric glue for hems and facings applied. All done!
The final result:
Oh wait, I mean the real final result:
Meg's got the nice, non-camera phone pics so you'll just have to be patient, yucca plants.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Presents!
This is the loot, in summary:
A hula hoop! Super fun. I'm better already after a few days, but the real shocker is that my mom is the hooping queen. She talked a big game about being the champion back in the day, but when I challenged her to a Xmas day hoop-off she started to back down. So, of course, I goaded her into to doing it. AND SHE ROCKED.
Dog Monopoly. I got it. You want it. To get you ASS KICKED, that is. Bring it.
Shifty hoodoo books. Something was telling me I needed to dip my toe into the dark side of the pool. Heartwarming family fun.
Crazy shoes. As usual, my parents we shocked, but not surprised. Mine is the leather one on the left.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
45% Serious
I went out dancing the week before last with my right hand gal, and ever-indulgent witness to my kooky antics, Meg. It left me with some food for thought, but here are the glib parts first.
I witnessed the most awesome/awful dance off between a group of white guys of varied degrees of inebriation versus one talented black guy.
Meg: He smells like laundry.
Me: Yeah, spicy laundry.
Some guy elected to type, then show me a text, rather than talk over the cacophony. The message read, "I've seen you turn down every guy in here, but I have to ask, will you marry me? I am 45% serious."
Which leads me to my deep thought for the week: I seriously enjoy being an ice princess. I guess I'm going back to my roots, but is it nostalgia? Maliciousness? Simplicity?
Let me explain the process. I go out, dance like a maniac (usually in some gothette ensemble), and flat out refuse to entertain any sort of conversation or interaction with any boys I don't know or are not friends of people that I know. This has always been the way I do things. Maybe it's because deep down I'm shy, maybe it's because I'd really rather be dancing, maybe it's because I know guys in bars are only trying to get in my pants and are not worth talking to, maybe it's that I worry that if I flirt back things will end up in a back seat.
Perhaps a discussion for another time.
The reason I keep doing it is pretty simple, however. I, like anyone, relish a compliment. It's nice to know I'm cute, or interesting, stand out, or dance well. Mae West said it best when she quipped, "It's better to be looked over than overlooked." So no posturing there, I admit it. The difference between thwarting advances with a ruthless stonewall and the more expected polite flirting is that I'm content with just knowing. I don't need the free drink. I don't need the canned compliments. I don't need the ll-advised hookup. No, I'm content to reel them in and throw them back. I get to be, in equal measure, a bitch and a honest, no-head games girl. Instant gratification, no mess. More importantly, no room for those awkward mixed signals.
The reason that this process is even worth mentioning is that I've made a few notable exceptions to the policy, particularly recently (although no strangers and not in bars, god forbid). On the one hand, I guess I've felt that refusing to talk to people is kind of eccentric and not very polite or grown-up or whatever you want to call it. I guess the other part is the curiosity factor. Oh, and the selfish factor. If I can happen upon an especially smitten suitor that seems easy enough to deal with, (read: throw back later at my discretion) why not enjoy the distraction? Casual dating the ultimate procrastination. Besides, everybody is doing it! What I've learned is that it is very, very entertaining. I like going on proper dates and being spoiled. I like having someone wondering what my next move is without ever fretting over theirs.
One the other hand, I am, deep down, a goody-goody. I don't mind being cruel, but I don't like being deceitful. And the other thing I've learned is that there is no way to be aloof without it being interpreted and being hard-to-get. So, while I'm loathe to lead anyone on, the leading may be all according to the one doing the following. Follow? Also, I am quite a snob when it comes to my reputation. Sure, I dress like a vampire hooker, dance like sex in heels, have some over-the-top hobbies, but all that luridness is cancelled out by the fact that I am thoroughly abstemious when it comes to sex and drugs...a little rock and roll never hurt anyone. This snotty reason for being that way doesn't particularly help tilt the moral scale in its favor, but, hey it's part of it too.
So, hmmm, where was I going with this? I guess the moral of the story is that I prefer --as I ought to-- the blunt, perhaps unwarranted, rejection to the drawn-out seduction and fizzle. And despite the reasons for me feeling that way include being conceited, an elitist, and rude, it is preferable to the alternative which I fear is bringing out my worst predatory instincts. (Let's not get into those.) Right? Right!
I feel like I've written myself quite a pep talk to get back on the righteous path of holding out for the OTL except, of course, I'm rather in the middle of quite the epic pursuit.
Circuity is my new strong suit these days.
Maybe I can be 45% serious.
I witnessed the most awesome/awful dance off between a group of white guys of varied degrees of inebriation versus one talented black guy.
Meg: He smells like laundry.
Me: Yeah, spicy laundry.
Some guy elected to type, then show me a text, rather than talk over the cacophony. The message read, "I've seen you turn down every guy in here, but I have to ask, will you marry me? I am 45% serious."
Which leads me to my deep thought for the week: I seriously enjoy being an ice princess. I guess I'm going back to my roots, but is it nostalgia? Maliciousness? Simplicity?
Let me explain the process. I go out, dance like a maniac (usually in some gothette ensemble), and flat out refuse to entertain any sort of conversation or interaction with any boys I don't know or are not friends of people that I know. This has always been the way I do things. Maybe it's because deep down I'm shy, maybe it's because I'd really rather be dancing, maybe it's because I know guys in bars are only trying to get in my pants and are not worth talking to, maybe it's that I worry that if I flirt back things will end up in a back seat.
Perhaps a discussion for another time.
The reason I keep doing it is pretty simple, however. I, like anyone, relish a compliment. It's nice to know I'm cute, or interesting, stand out, or dance well. Mae West said it best when she quipped, "It's better to be looked over than overlooked." So no posturing there, I admit it. The difference between thwarting advances with a ruthless stonewall and the more expected polite flirting is that I'm content with just knowing. I don't need the free drink. I don't need the canned compliments. I don't need the ll-advised hookup. No, I'm content to reel them in and throw them back. I get to be, in equal measure, a bitch and a honest, no-head games girl. Instant gratification, no mess. More importantly, no room for those awkward mixed signals.
The reason that this process is even worth mentioning is that I've made a few notable exceptions to the policy, particularly recently (although no strangers and not in bars, god forbid). On the one hand, I guess I've felt that refusing to talk to people is kind of eccentric and not very polite or grown-up or whatever you want to call it. I guess the other part is the curiosity factor. Oh, and the selfish factor. If I can happen upon an especially smitten suitor that seems easy enough to deal with, (read: throw back later at my discretion) why not enjoy the distraction? Casual dating the ultimate procrastination. Besides, everybody is doing it! What I've learned is that it is very, very entertaining. I like going on proper dates and being spoiled. I like having someone wondering what my next move is without ever fretting over theirs.
One the other hand, I am, deep down, a goody-goody. I don't mind being cruel, but I don't like being deceitful. And the other thing I've learned is that there is no way to be aloof without it being interpreted and being hard-to-get. So, while I'm loathe to lead anyone on, the leading may be all according to the one doing the following. Follow? Also, I am quite a snob when it comes to my reputation. Sure, I dress like a vampire hooker, dance like sex in heels, have some over-the-top hobbies, but all that luridness is cancelled out by the fact that I am thoroughly abstemious when it comes to sex and drugs...a little rock and roll never hurt anyone. This snotty reason for being that way doesn't particularly help tilt the moral scale in its favor, but, hey it's part of it too.
So, hmmm, where was I going with this? I guess the moral of the story is that I prefer --as I ought to-- the blunt, perhaps unwarranted, rejection to the drawn-out seduction and fizzle. And despite the reasons for me feeling that way include being conceited, an elitist, and rude, it is preferable to the alternative which I fear is bringing out my worst predatory instincts. (Let's not get into those.) Right? Right!
I feel like I've written myself quite a pep talk to get back on the righteous path of holding out for the OTL except, of course, I'm rather in the middle of quite the epic pursuit.
Circuity is my new strong suit these days.
Maybe I can be 45% serious.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Red Recommends: Sextrology
Book review time!! As resident astrology expert I could could probably write my own book, so I feel pretty qualified to recommend Sextrology.
I bought it last night as an early Yule present to myself and so far I'm pretty impressed. I'd flipped through it before at Meg's house, and wasn't smitten, but after giving several signs a hard, critical read I can vouch for its accuracy.
To give you an idea of the structure and content, Sextrology is divided by sign and gender. Each section (Aries male, for example) gets an intro, Sign and Mind, Body and Soul, Sex and Sexuality, and a handy Couplings table that describes each possible paring between the signs, gay and straight.
What really prompted me to publicly sing the praises of the book is that it is one of the few books to tell me something new. Most astrology books tend to reiterate the same stereotypes to the point of caricatures. Save yourself the trouble and read Linda Goodman's Sun Signs, my astrology bible (she's an Aries!). Sextrology, surprisingly enough, features really deep psychological analysis and only gets to the eponymous carnal advice at the end of each section. Best of the best is the deliciously fascinating sidebars detailing the symbolism of the planetary glyph, sign glyph, mythical archetype, and Biblical symbolism.
As for the first two, I admit I am a bit of an arcane symbol addict. Alchemy, Kabbalic sigils, runes, ancient alphabets, you name it, I know the precise rhyme and reason for each stroke and swirl. So, these sections may play to my personal predilection exclusively. Nevertheless, it's worth praising, AND the descriptions are different of each sign's gender. Bonus points.
The mythical archetypes are, in a word, exquisite. The author has gone above and beyond the traditional planetary rulers and fleshed out rich deities for both genders. What I mean by this is, for example, Aries is ruled by Mars. Mars is the god of war and if you know me, you might see where a chit chat about warlike, competitive, impatient impulses is going. Mars is, however, ultimately a dude, and the utility of him to describe the female iteration of those qualities is finite. To solve the dilemma, authors Starsky and Cox introduce secondary and companion gods and goddesses to paint the full picture. In the case of Aries, it is Pallas Athena. Let me say this, I read a LOT of scholarship on classical mythology. We're talking secondary and primary sources. Hell, I've produced scholarship on classical mythology. Moreover, I actively worship said deities. To say that I am familiar with our dear Goddess of the Art of War is a sure thing. When I assert that this book came up with twists on Athena that were novel and creative (and accurate) to me is totally amazing. I am utterly impressed. (Even the distinction between God of War versus God of the Art of War is fascinating!)
You might be surprised that I was interested or impressed with the Biblical associations, but to be fair, I lucked out and Aries Woman got Lilith. Nevertheless, the reasoning behind the correlation was clear, historical, and revealing. Love it. (Taurus gals get Eve)
Another detail I love which is kind of incidental is the titles for each chapter, but I'm a word nerd, and that's just how it goes. Each gendered pair gets a pretty lovely set of his and hers nouns like the Natural and the Knockout for Leo or the Player and the Pearl for Cancer. (I'm the Original. lol)
The text is also acerbically straight-froward, which, to me, is a good thing. But I am an Aries and tend to construe things like, "She is selfish in the extreme... typically lacks compassion to some degree" as compliments anyway.
The most glaring inconsistencies I found tended to deal with the sex profiles themselves. A few signs tend to get the "one-note" treatment, but I think if you pay extra attention to the cited exceptions and treat them as common traits you'll get a better picture. (It's a good rule of thumb to know that agressive sorts often play against type in the bedroom, Aries included.) The keywords in the "turn ons" sidebars are a little random as well. I think mine left out a few significant ones (blood play? or is that just me?) and had a few outstanding ringers (lumberjacks? seriously?).
The arm-chair Oedipal psychoanalysis was a little iffy to me too, but I happen to have pretty awesome parents, so maybe I'm the anomaly on that front.
Overall, I give it 4 1/2 witchy stars. The half star off is for the occasionally patchy sex advice which is purportedly the purpose of the book. However, the book offers much, much more than said sordid divination, which is a pleasant and long-overdue surprise.
I bought it last night as an early Yule present to myself and so far I'm pretty impressed. I'd flipped through it before at Meg's house, and wasn't smitten, but after giving several signs a hard, critical read I can vouch for its accuracy.
To give you an idea of the structure and content, Sextrology is divided by sign and gender. Each section (Aries male, for example) gets an intro, Sign and Mind, Body and Soul, Sex and Sexuality, and a handy Couplings table that describes each possible paring between the signs, gay and straight.
What really prompted me to publicly sing the praises of the book is that it is one of the few books to tell me something new. Most astrology books tend to reiterate the same stereotypes to the point of caricatures. Save yourself the trouble and read Linda Goodman's Sun Signs, my astrology bible (she's an Aries!). Sextrology, surprisingly enough, features really deep psychological analysis and only gets to the eponymous carnal advice at the end of each section. Best of the best is the deliciously fascinating sidebars detailing the symbolism of the planetary glyph, sign glyph, mythical archetype, and Biblical symbolism.
As for the first two, I admit I am a bit of an arcane symbol addict. Alchemy, Kabbalic sigils, runes, ancient alphabets, you name it, I know the precise rhyme and reason for each stroke and swirl. So, these sections may play to my personal predilection exclusively. Nevertheless, it's worth praising, AND the descriptions are different of each sign's gender. Bonus points.
The mythical archetypes are, in a word, exquisite. The author has gone above and beyond the traditional planetary rulers and fleshed out rich deities for both genders. What I mean by this is, for example, Aries is ruled by Mars. Mars is the god of war and if you know me, you might see where a chit chat about warlike, competitive, impatient impulses is going. Mars is, however, ultimately a dude, and the utility of him to describe the female iteration of those qualities is finite. To solve the dilemma, authors Starsky and Cox introduce secondary and companion gods and goddesses to paint the full picture. In the case of Aries, it is Pallas Athena. Let me say this, I read a LOT of scholarship on classical mythology. We're talking secondary and primary sources. Hell, I've produced scholarship on classical mythology. Moreover, I actively worship said deities. To say that I am familiar with our dear Goddess of the Art of War is a sure thing. When I assert that this book came up with twists on Athena that were novel and creative (and accurate) to me is totally amazing. I am utterly impressed. (Even the distinction between God of War versus God of the Art of War is fascinating!)
You might be surprised that I was interested or impressed with the Biblical associations, but to be fair, I lucked out and Aries Woman got Lilith. Nevertheless, the reasoning behind the correlation was clear, historical, and revealing. Love it. (Taurus gals get Eve)
Another detail I love which is kind of incidental is the titles for each chapter, but I'm a word nerd, and that's just how it goes. Each gendered pair gets a pretty lovely set of his and hers nouns like the Natural and the Knockout for Leo or the Player and the Pearl for Cancer. (I'm the Original. lol)
The text is also acerbically straight-froward, which, to me, is a good thing. But I am an Aries and tend to construe things like, "She is selfish in the extreme... typically lacks compassion to some degree" as compliments anyway.
The most glaring inconsistencies I found tended to deal with the sex profiles themselves. A few signs tend to get the "one-note" treatment, but I think if you pay extra attention to the cited exceptions and treat them as common traits you'll get a better picture. (It's a good rule of thumb to know that agressive sorts often play against type in the bedroom, Aries included.) The keywords in the "turn ons" sidebars are a little random as well. I think mine left out a few significant ones (blood play? or is that just me?) and had a few outstanding ringers (lumberjacks? seriously?).
The arm-chair Oedipal psychoanalysis was a little iffy to me too, but I happen to have pretty awesome parents, so maybe I'm the anomaly on that front.
Overall, I give it 4 1/2 witchy stars. The half star off is for the occasionally patchy sex advice which is purportedly the purpose of the book. However, the book offers much, much more than said sordid divination, which is a pleasant and long-overdue surprise.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Dating Advice
Mom: So I was reading your blog...who's the guy from Columbia?
Me: Oh, he was just some guy I met at a holiday party for five minutes. He's getting a Masters in Economics at SMU.
Mom: *gasps in delight*
Me: He's 23.
Mom: So? Economics, you say?
Me: You have a crush on him, then.
Me: Oh, he was just some guy I met at a holiday party for five minutes. He's getting a Masters in Economics at SMU.
Mom: *gasps in delight*
Me: He's 23.
Mom: So? Economics, you say?
Me: You have a crush on him, then.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Re: Daily Tarot
Trouble. Not my fault if it wasn't my idea, right?
He is, by the way, the dumbest boy in America. Or, more accurately, the most Aquarian Aquarius ever. It wasn't that bad, but it did spark a tiff with the giffer.
quick recap-
Aquarius: Man, I'm ready to leave but [whatsherface] won't stop dancing on the stage. Help me out.
Me: Wtf? I'm a dancer, I'm not going to tell anyone to STOP dancing.
Aquarius: No, you can help me! Start dancing with me and she'll be down here in 10 seconds. Watch!
Me: [thinks: this is either the screwiest relationship I have ever observed or the lamest attempt to dance with me ever conceived] Ok, sure.
The dancing was perfectly chaste, I assure you.
He is, by the way, the dumbest boy in America. Or, more accurately, the most Aquarian Aquarius ever. It wasn't that bad, but it did spark a tiff with the giffer.
quick recap-
Aquarius: Man, I'm ready to leave but [whatsherface] won't stop dancing on the stage. Help me out.
Me: Wtf? I'm a dancer, I'm not going to tell anyone to STOP dancing.
Aquarius: No, you can help me! Start dancing with me and she'll be down here in 10 seconds. Watch!
Me: [thinks: this is either the screwiest relationship I have ever observed or the lamest attempt to dance with me ever conceived] Ok, sure.
The dancing was perfectly chaste, I assure you.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
You mean people younger than me have feelings?
M: That sucks that the guy from Columbia is only 23.
Me: I was hoping he was kidding, but he wasn't.
M: I could tell you kinda liked him.
Me: Yeah, now I just want to gnaw on his soul.
M: Uh....
Me: I was hoping he was kidding, but he wasn't.
M: I could tell you kinda liked him.
Me: Yeah, now I just want to gnaw on his soul.
M: Uh....
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Daily Tarot
the Devil
The Devil represent wild behavior and reckless abandon. This is a card synonymous with temptation and addiction. At its worst this card embodies evil, but at its best represents ambition, impulsiveness, and pure devotion. You should be acutely aware of the destructive influences in your life and gather the strength to overcome them.
Oh, Facebook Tarot, you naive thing, you. You know perfectly well these kinds of admonitions have the exact opposite effect. This is the best I can promise you: I'm biding my time with the latest "project"; perhaps something more wholesome will come along before I get us into too much trouble. 'K?
The Devil represent wild behavior and reckless abandon. This is a card synonymous with temptation and addiction. At its worst this card embodies evil, but at its best represents ambition, impulsiveness, and pure devotion. You should be acutely aware of the destructive influences in your life and gather the strength to overcome them.
Oh, Facebook Tarot, you naive thing, you. You know perfectly well these kinds of admonitions have the exact opposite effect. This is the best I can promise you: I'm biding my time with the latest "project"; perhaps something more wholesome will come along before I get us into too much trouble. 'K?
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