Remember that random Japanese band I expressed a long time love for a while back?  Well....guess who announced a world tour. 

So what have I been thinking about all weekend? How plausible is it for me to buy tickets and drive 9 hours to New York....

Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll add a Chicago stop...then I only have to drive 5 hours and I know that town!

Read more...

The not so big 2-4

Today is my birthday.  My birthday is generally always Memorial Day weekend-ish so I can always find strange things to do.  This weekend Mike and I are thinking about taking the ferry to the Lake Erie Islands.

My birthday didn't start out unusual.  Took Uther out, had some coffee and a bagel thin, went across the sidewalk to the apartment's gym, but when I got back I got a voicemail from a flower company saying they had a delivery and no one was home.  I took a ridiculously quick shower before they came back and this is what I found:

 

My family (mom and step father) sent me a flower "cake" and chocolates.  How sweet.  Here I've been bitching and moaning all week about my family disconnect and I'm once again slapped in the face by the opposite. I know better.   I've never seen a flower "cake", it's quite neat isn't it?  

 

I put the ribbon that came on the box on Uther, he looked so charming all day.  Once again, he was so cute it just wasn't fair. I flitting about the rest of the day responding to texts and nothing exciting until Mike came home with: 

Coldstone Creamery Cupcakes!  I've wanted to try these for a long time.  I only ate the oreo one thus far, but it was delicious. We took off to a shopping center/town that people talk a lot about.  It's been raining for a couple days so walking around wasn't too extensive.  I bought a $3 book at Books-a-Million and we went to Bar Louie for dinner.  Never been there, but it was actually pretty good.  I didn't take any pictures because the food presentation wasn't amazing...but it tasting good.  It was a little too loud in there for me, but we sat next to this bridal shower....that was fun to watch.  They played a game of naming as many famous couples as they could...I realized I would be really bad and strange at that game.  I mostly came up with political figures and Tim Burton with Helena Bonham Carter.  Oh! and "Johnny Depp and that french model"
There's a running store in this shopping town and they must have been having a group run thing, I admire people who will run in the rain.  Serious rain, not a drizzle. Mike and I came back and I lit my four birthday candles.  Mike sang me happy birthday

I have now settled in with a bottle of wine I bought back in December specifically for my birthday! It's from a beloved winery in Illinois called Acquaviva...phenomenal wines. I have saved this one bottle of my favorite since before we moved from Illinois to Ohio.  

mmmm how about a little vintage HIM for my birthday:

I'm not sure what does this to me...but after a couple glasses of wine...if a sexy ville appears before me I seem to loose my clothing...it's like magic.

Read more...

Run, come shatter me now, shatter me with hope

Crawl, come breathe me in, bleed out all sorrow

Scream me a dream, untouched by shadows

Baby, shatter me now, shatter me now

shatter me with hope

Swear on your heart's grave, I'm wrong

and love like your life's depending on it

Read more...

No post rapture looting?

I'm quite disappointed I did not get to participate in the post apocalyptic looting because the lack of rapture! I'm actually sorry for those that really believed that cult leader.  I have nothing against people that are deceived, but I really dislike people that take advantage of people.  I basically can't wait to hear what that leader has to say.  I have the remarkable ability to read, and by my understanding the Christian folk are not supposed to know when said rapture will happen. Eh, we know one way or the other I'll still be here! Toast to that.

John the Revelator
He's a smooth operator
It's time we cut him down to size
Take him by the hand
And put him on the stand
Let us hear his alibis


Seven lies, multiplied by seven, multiplied by seven again
Seven angels with seven trumpets
Send them home on the morning train
Well who's that shouting?
John the Revelator!
All he ever gives us is pain
Well who's that shouting?
John the Revelator!
He should bow his head in shame

Read more...

My favorite bands

Just for fun... though not necessarily my favorite songs



HIM! Of course. But why do I like this band so much? I love the way Ville writes and sings about love. It's very truthful, unlike the pop love songs. Those make no sense to me and it's like listening to Disney fairy tales. A lot of love songs have this strange idealistic concept of love that I don't understand. Nor can I live up to. Ville's lyrics are both very blunt and obscure at the same time. I greatly appreciate that HIM sounds like HIM. I think that's the issue with a lot of bands, they all sound the same. There are very few bands that come around that capture the imagination of so many people in such a short amount of time.
Why I admire Ville specifically. Besides I think he's quite lovely looking. I hail from a family where alcoholics reign supreme. Ville almost died because of alcohol and went to rehab. What's more credible is that he is still sober. I've never actually seen anyone do that. I've seen alcohol destroy a lot of people, and I am so thankful that it didn't consume this one. The strength that it takes to move on from that is something I really admire. I love to see the pictures from shows now where he has a can of coke in his hand or a mug. He has also claimed to be a vegetarian... but he says so many random things in interviews you never really know.



Apocalyptica.  Again one of those bands where there is nothing like them.  They are my flat out favorite band to see live.  They're shows are just phenomenal.  One of my favorite life moments was standing on a ledge above a bunch of good guys I didn't know all of us just having a jolly good time while they played Hall of the Mountain King.  They sit sometimes, but most of the time they're up playing, holding cellos over their heads...the works.  I was standing about 10 feet away from the boys before their last show....and it was everything I could do not to run up the stairs and tackle them.  As if my 5'5" frame could really tackle a cello wielding Scandinavian....
Could you image the conversations they would have picking up a lady?  "oh hey what do you do?"  "I'm in a metal band"  "oh yeah what do you play?"  "...cello..."






Depeche Mode. I don't have any deep philosophical reason why I like Depeche Mode. I just like their music quite a bit.



Nine Inch Nails. Ah same thing with Depeche. i have no good reason. I almost got the artistically written "Sin" as a tattoo years ago, thanks in large part to this song. Most people know NIN by their other song..."I wanna fuck you like an animal.." Oh does that song bring back memories too!



L'arc~en~ciel. Obscure, I know. But this band means a lot to me. There were many rough violent family nights in my early teens listening to this band over and over again for comfort. They are probably one of the reasons I'm still alive today. Seriously, if someone handed me an opportunity to see this band live I would cry. I have loved Laruku since I was about ten, and there was a time in my life where I could sing you every song in Japanese and then tell you the lyrics in English. I've long since forgotten most of that. Ah a special place in my heart indeed. A very special place in my heart.  If you hear me listening to odd Japanese music at any time now rest assured that I am looking for a very specific type of comfort. Especially this song; there are very few songs I can literally feel in my heart.

Read more...

 

I love this picture.  A lovely lady taking a break from the crazy wedding day with some coffee.  enjoying the weather.  yeah.  i like this picture

Read more...

Apocalyptica

 

Oh Apocalyptica how I love you and your shows.  Look at them! They are just man handling those cellos.   

Seriously, I've been thinking about walking down the wedding isle to Apocalyptica.... 

Read more...

Beltane

 Craft of the Wise

Sorry no pictures! Well..there were some kids running around snapping pictures, but I'm not sure if they actually took any pictures with it other than the ground.

It certainly was a long night last night, I didn't actually get to sleep until 3am! I was invited (this was NOT open to public) to the Beltane celebration of one of the main Pagan groups in the area.  Most of the other groups are offshoots of this group.  So, needless to say I was fairly excited to attend, and just as nervous. 

I suppose a proper start of would be..what in the world is Beltane?! Beltane is one of the main Pagan festivals celebrating the turning of the year/turning of the seasons.  It has theoretically been celebrated since well before Christianity took hold across Europe.  Personally, I want to note that there is no absolutely certain truth of that, but that's what "they say."  The main thing to understand about Beltane is that in many Pagan traditions half the year is dominated by a male deity (often called the Horned God), whereas the other half is dominated by a female deity (Great Mother...and a billion other names).  So, Fall and Winter are mostly the male deity realm, and Spring and Summer are the female.  This makes sense in terms of the rebirth and death cycle of life.  In an extreme short, Beltane is the celebration of the female deity taking control from her male deity (sometimes referred to as her lover).  What is commonly called Halloween is the opposite of this.  It is said that on Beltane and Halloween the two gods are together, and this should be celebrated.  That's the best I can do to explain Beltane lol

I should note that I won't write completely what was said and done, doesn't seem right to do that.  There was nothing crazy, sexual, or inappropriate...just making that clear.

So! I arrived a bit early because it seemed like the polite thing to do.  I chatted with the Elder of the group for a while, as well as one of the groups newer initiates.  She is pregnant was was restricted to the kitchen (not allowed to lift the things being used in ritual and the like).  I'm a big fan of kitchens, so I was in there for a while.  The initiates of the group set up the entire ritual while the higher orders of the group (the High Priestess and Priest ... the clergy?)  prepared themselves.  When they finished up I was invited by the Elder of the group to drum for a while, that was lovely.  I do like drumming.  The higher orders did their thing .... and I was invited into their circle.  Lets keep in mind here that it was dark, they had their alter all set up, and there was obvious energy to the area. 

However, to enter said circle I had to get past the High Priest who was invoking said male deity.  If he doesn't see in you what he should be seeing to enter their sacred space...he turns you away.  So... I'm a bit short and about three or four times smaller than this man.  His was shirtless, face was painted, had a horned crown..... I was intimidated.  I said my appropriate bit (like a pass-code) and wasn't turned away.  Then I ran into the High Priestess and she marked my forehead with some sort of oil, and gave me a hug.  It was surprising, but comforting.  Which is odd for me... I'm not one to find comfort in hugs or kisses.  THEN I ran into the Elder who invited me to do something with her I can't describe properly, is was a blessing to the ancestors.. in extreme short.  She then asked me to stand next to her on the other side of the circle, which was notably different than expected.  The initiates seemed a bit perplexed at my nervous scuttle around their circle to stand next to the Elder's chair.  I was quite clearly nervous, and I think she wanted to be there to show me what to do if needed.  
The High Priest and Priestess let their ritual, and all of that I don't think is appropriate to share on a public blog.  You'll have to ask me in person about details.  No one was naked or doing inappropriate things.. no drugs or any of the other silly things people say Pagans do.  It was a nice energy, nothing unusual or uncomfortable.  There was a charge in the air, but it was positive in general.

After the ritual ended I was chatting with everyone for a while.  I clicked with one of the Higher orders, so we chatted quite a bit.  She was spunky, strong willed, but still very positive and contemplative.  She's the balance for the High Priestess and Priest who are very grounded, and obviously a bit exhausted from their ritual.  So I didn't end up leaving these people until quite late at night.  I was as comfortable as I can be...having chronic anxiety and autistic tendencies.  There were all very supportive and open to my functioning regardless of my nervousness. 

Then I drove home, Mike and split a bottle of peach wine to celebrate the holiday..and retreated to do what many adult Pagan couples do in private on said holiday lol! Quite a lot of energy all around! No really, I think the energy of the evening came out all at once on the poor man.  T'was Lovely.

 

That's my horned god (Ville). lol!  Oh ! I'm sorry.... I just got fangirl all over this blog again!

Read more...