Challenge #12 Create a Rec Countdown.

You pick 5 categories of Recs **
You pick which category gets 5 recs.
Which one gets four, three… and so on.

Five good books for learning to read esoteric (versus intuitive) Tarot.

1. Robert Wang - The Qabalistic Tarot
       Qabala underpins the Smith Waite deck, which means it underpins the majority of all Tarot decks created since.
   
2. Lon Milo DuQuette - Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot
       Crowley's reskinned Christianity is another major influence on modern Tarot, and this book has the best summation of it.
   
3. Anthony Louis - Tarot Beyond the Basics
       Discusses Golden Dawn astrology (second only to Qabala as an underpinning of modern interpretations) alongside newer systems like Meyers Briggs.
   
4. Robert Place - The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination
       Place is the go-to author for systems like Neo-Platonism and Alchemy that influenced the development of pre-modern Tarot.
   
5. Cynthia Giles - The Tarot: History, Mystery, and Lore
       This book is an excellent source for the development of Tarot from its creation to the title's publish date of 1992.
   

Four great tracks to listen to on a fast run.

1. Luna Aura - Money Bag
   
2. Crows - Bored
   
3. Stiffed - Like an Itch
   
4. Giungla - Cold (Rework)

Three topics I am great for nerding out about with.

1. Irish traditional music
   
2. Calligraphy pens, fountain pens, and inks
   
3. Language learning (particularly endangered, minority, or revived languages)
   

Two excellent recent Lae'zel meme shops.

1. 
   
2. 

First image by Zanian19 on reddit. If you know who to credit for the second, please let me know!

One self-explanatory entry.

1. 
   Actually, not a rec. Not a rec at all.

これで以上です。

Last Friday, I noticed my night blooming cereus was preparing to flower. I stayed up until 1 am the next morning but alas, no dice.

Saturday saw us head to a friend's to grill steaks and swordfish. I wasn't ready to head right to bed afterward, so I figured I'd stay up for a bit and see if that night would be the night.

It was. The bloom smelled like roses and cedar, and it was incredibly pretty.



More images after the ( cut. )

So that was definitely worth the wait.

これで以上です。

Challenge #10

Five Things! The five things are totally up to you. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Up to me, you say? In that case, here are five varieties of instrument that I play.

Irish Flute

Here is my McNeela:

McNeela is not positively regarded by a lot of players (one Internet wiseass referred to their flutes as being made from "Pakistani firewood") but this particular instrument produces a lovely tone, especially when it's oiled regularly and kept at a good humidity. (This wasn't the case throughout its life as you can see from the slight bend in the body, which has led to its being fondly dubbed "Mr. Derpy.")


This is my second main flute, an Ormiston in blackwood. It produces a big tone. I mean BIG. I don't play it as much at home as I'd like, because damn this guy is loud. But yeah, absolutely beautiful sound, super responsive, and a really strong, dark bottom 'D'. I love this flute so much.

Low Whistle

This particular whistle is an MK Kelpie. It's not tuneable, but as I don't play this one in groups that's not really an issue. Anyway, it's got a really lovely tone, a pretty strong low 'E' (usually the weakest note on an Irish flute or low whistle), forgiving air requirements, and really good balance across both octaves.

Plus, it would double as a weapon in a pinch.

Pennywhistle

Being, from top to bottom, a Burke Al-Pro, an O'Riordan, and a Mack Hoover narrow bore, all in D. The Al-Pro is my go-to session instrument. It's got a lovely sweet tone and is fairly audible in a group setting. The Hoover, by contrast, is quite soft and generally what I practice on to avoid annoying the neighbors.

The O'Riordan is the king of high D whistles, and Pat O'Riordan made this instrument for me personally. I ADORE it and would probably opt to save it in a fire ahead of any human beings who happened to be with me.

Great Highland Bagpipes

Or, this Blair practice chanter, because I live in a multiunit dwelling and value my life. That said, plug in earphones and it sounds and responds pretty much identically to a traditional practice chanter. There's also a setting for the chanter plus a full set of drones, which I am so far away from managing IRL, but man, using it makes me feel like such a badass. One day, I'll actually get there. 😎

Angklung

Angklung being a traditional Indonesian instrument from Java Barat. They have to be played with a group because each angklung can only generate its specific pitch. Now that I'm not a student with an obliging schedule I'm no longer able to play, but maybe one day I'll be able to make it work again.

At any rate, if you ever get the chance to hear an angklung ensemble in person, go for it. It's really, really cool.

これで以上です。

Search in your current space, whether brick-and-mortar or digital. Post a picture (a link to a picture will be fine!) or description of something that is or represents:

1. Something your favorite character would like + 5. Something you find comforting( Read more... )


2. Something that makes you laugh + 7. A piece of clothing you love( Read more... )


3. A fandom place you would like to visit + 6. Something from a favorite TV series or movie from your childhood( Read more... )


4. A fandom creator (pro or not) you'd like to meet( Read more... )


5. Something you find comforting + 7. A piece of clothing you love( Read more... )


8. A book or song with a color in the title( Read more... )


9. Something only someone in your fandom would understand( Read more... )


これで以上です。

Last week I posted about my latest houseplant acquisitions. Well, it turns out, I wasn't done.

As I was heading back home I encountered, on the treelawn( Read more... )

これで以上です。

Another week in which work eclipsed everything I'd been intending to do with my free time, including leaving on schedule today. DX To facilitate transitioning from that whirlwind into a hopefully relaxing weekend, let's do a Friday Flora.

The first of the month was bitterly cold--seasonably so, just not for this year, which has seen weeks of t-shirt weather and less than half an inch of snow since November.

That less than half an inch all fell late the evening of the 31^st and was gone by ten the next morning. I was taking an evening walk right as the cold front was moving in and happened to notice a large, glossy leaved ZZ plant stalk lying lightly dusted with snow on the treelawn in front of a U-Haul. My guess is it had fallen or gotten knocked off of someone's mature plant as they were moving in to a new apartment.

If it's still there when I'm done walking, I thought, I'll take it inside and try to save it.

Well, it was, and I did.


I was worried that the sudden transition from freezing to habitable temperatures would give it temperature shock, but it seemed to be doing okay when I got back from work the next afternoon.



In fact, only one of its leaves fell off, so I took my biggest glass vase, found a new home for the dried lavender that had been occupying it, washed it out, lopped the bottom of the ZZ stalk off, and plopped it in. It's still far too early to say whether it will successfully root or if I've only postponed the inevitable, but baby steps. ZZ plants are notoriously slow growers: the previous one I rooted, from a cutting 1/17^th the size, has only recently developed a rhizome, three years later.


これで以上です。

Who do we appreciate? (Or, hello. A three day weekend means I have time to catch up on these challenges with an omnibus post. Let's see if I can keep on track for the rest of the month.)



Challenge #2

In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for your fave character, ship or fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.


So I waffled a lot on how to answer this prompt, because there are so many things I'd like to promo, primer, or manifesto. Then I realized I could do that for a favorite fandom, character, and ship all in one fell swoop. Allow me to introduce ( Rasaad )

Just, gah. Play these games. Play them at least once with Rasaad in your party. Romance him too, if you’re inclined. It’s worth it.


Challenge #5

In your own space, tell us about 3 creative/fannish resources, spaces, or communities you use or enjoy. (One or two is fine, especially if you're in a smaller fandom or like many people at the moment, fannishly adrift right now) Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

( Here )


Challenge #6

In your own space, post the results of your fandom scavenger hunt. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

( Hurrah, )


Challenge #8

In your own space, create a quiz or a poll (or tell us your thoughts about answering quizzes/polls). Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I'm not a paid user and I try to avoid third party websites with a gazillion tracking scripts and cookies, so we'll do this old school. English-language fantasy? Yes! But which one?:

• The Dark is Rising Sequence
• Discworld
• Harry Potter
• The Lord of the Rings
• The Mists of Avalon
• The Prydain Chronicles
• The Queen's Thief
• The Sandman
• Temeraire
• Other

これで以上です。

It's been a rough week and a long day at work and very strange to wake up to news of Abe Shinzo's assassination. In the interest of posting something calming and happy, here is more Friday Flora.

For good or ill, more people in my neighborhood buy plants than can take care of them. Which, it is a learning process, and luckily at least some of those people put the plants out for adoption instead of immediately dumpstering them. And because I have a bleeding plant heart and like a challenge, I am happy to pick them up.

I posted a few months ago about the abandoned diffenbachia that was clinging to life as four stems. I'm happy to report that six-plus months of TLC have paid off and it is starting to grow new leaves.



As is the monstera I adopted the night of the lunar eclipse, which has sprouted half a dozen new leaves that are starting to develop the characteristic swiss cheese holes.



I really love the glossy green of these new leaves. The appearance of holes in them is especially gratifying, because nobody really knows what mechanism triggers the plant to start producing them (the one in my bedroom, for instance, has led a pampered life since I brought it home healthy from the store, and has produced no holes whatsoever).

I noticed someone lugging two suspiciously distressed-plant-shaped tubs to the recycling chute the last week of June as I was heading out to run a day full of errands. If they are indeed plants and still there when I get back, I thought, I will see what I can do.



They were and were, and I did. They are still in bad shape, but regenerating fast enough that I hope to get rid of the dead growth (which is currently helping to maintain the ideal level of soil moisture) soon.

Finally, I found this guy on my walk home from the grocery store last Saturday.



She seems to have been abandoned during a move rather than because she's ailing and seems to be adapting quite well to the conditions here.

これで以上です。

It's been (oops) a little under 11 months since I've posted one of these. To celebrate hopefully getting back into the habit, let's go with something a bit unusual: ( For Strange Women's Botanical Oracle. )

The cardstock is very thin and flexible, which, while not the prevailing preference for indie decks certainly is my preference because it makes it that much easier to shuffle and bridge. The printing is very carefully done, and they gilt edges are nice as well.

I think it's precisely because the cards are both beautifully drawn and arbitrary in terms of their illustrations, and because the meanings are so bare bones, that this deck works for me, at least for quick draws for simple, tactical questions. I don't think that I would ever want another oracle deck, but I like having this one.

^*As for the indie house itself? I love For Strange Women's scents, but they last for approximately five minutes after application...unless I use them with the bespoke fixative base, in which case they last for two minutes. So I can't recommend FSW as far as its primary product is concerned.


これで以上です。

This week we acquired a small Christmas tree.

Yesterday, we decorated it. ( Read more... )



これで以上です。