Heartland

I'm going to bitch about merchanting at Heartland. If you read my blog and you are on the HSA board or a dear, close, personal friend of a member of the board, then stop reading, because I'm not apologizing for being annoyed.

1) Entry day on Tuesday and only between the hours of 9 and 6? Really? WTF? Do people not have real jobs where they have to schedule their time off? Hell, the event doesn't even start until Thursday. I have to work that day. If I try to ask for that day off now, I may as well ask for Monday off too, but that will cut into the time I need to save for our mandatory office shut-down between xmas and New Year's day...

2) 3 hours of mandatory volunteerism? 3! For the merchant and his/her 'staff', (which means anyone who is on the early entry list). The regular participants only have to do 2. I have a booth to manage and a husband to keep fed and happy. I used to look forward to Heartland as a vacation-type event where I can relax, socialize and have fun, but now it is turning into a huge laborious, rule ridden pain in my ass.

3) Fire extinguisher, screw-down tent pegs, glow-sticks, safety-this, worry-that, rule blah...... Next thing you know there will be a lights-out curfew after everyone is required to attend the main ritual and mega-bonfire that can be seen from space that you must keep exactly 25' from at all times or a person with a pointy pole will poke you while making sure you aren't under the influence of illegal substances. Oh, and you must be fully clothed at all times for the off chance that an undercover officer will see you even though the camp is legally listed as clothing optional, it's just not 'respectful' to the nice officers (that actually happened to me one year).

4) I'm starting to get too old for this shit. I want to go to camp, sit around with my friends, listen to good drumming, bands, get a little wasted, dance naked a little bit, and maybe sell something. I don't want to be constantly wet, too cold, too hot, achy, grumpy, listen to achy and grumpy, and a half dozen other annoyances that I don't feel like listing. Why can't Heartland be as fun and relaxing as Fest of Tara?

Getting older

My old friend/high school love is very ill. A deadly combination of infections has his life in great danger. We can all only pray that he will be all right, but he will never be the same, regardless.

I'm going to be in great danger of being all sentimental and stuff. I can only hope that my Elf will understand.

Celtic Prayer Beads

I was reading a bead newletter I get and came across this concept http://www.anamcaradallas.org/Celtic_Prayer_Beads.htm. I had never heard of such a thing, so I went to Google and found this site about Pagan prayers http://northernway.org/school/onw/prayers.html. And lo and behold I found reference to our friend Mike Nichols and one of his lovely poems/prayers.
We should play internet based 6 degrees of Mike Nichols. :-)

It seems to be a New Age-NeoPagan-Xtian crossover thing. I think the concept is lovely, but most likely not actually authentic, but what NeoPagan thing is, right? I think I could use the idea to add to my desire to create spiritually themed jewelry and there is at least one festival I attend that it would probably go over well at, but I stuggle with the idea of creating tools for religious concepts I don't follow. Although as a worry-bead chain, it could work... I would have problem trying to pass them off as some sort of authentic Celtic religious concept.

I haven't posted in forever

Almost a year now!

Wow, I'm lazy.

Flight of the Conchords are awesome!

That is all.

You Are an Afternoon Person

You can find energy any time of the day ... or night! You prefer to be out and about when most other people are. Very early mornings or very late nights aren't really your thing. You're practically solar powered, and the afternoon is when do best.

Are You a Morning Person or Night Person?

I guess this is right. It takes me a while to get going on intellectual stuff, my problem solving abilities seem to peak in the afternoons.

Today's the day! In a few minutes I'm leaving for the hall to start getting ready and get stuff all set up.

I'm getting nervous...