Strange Happenings in TO

Posted on March 26, 2004 by Heather

I’m starting to enjoy living in TO. So many odd things happen here.

Today I set out to meet quanta downtown for lunch. I left home just as a gentle rain was ending. The birds were singing, squirrels were chasing each other in the trees, and the geese were napping on the lawn. (I still can’t get over those geese.) It was so quite and peaceful. It is times like this that I feel so close to the Lord and Lady, like they are whispering in my ear to really live in the moment.

Of course, that all changed by the time I got to the subway. My trip was fairly uneventful (although the car I was in smelled a bit like pee) until I got to the Bloor St. station. Across the way, on the other platform, I saw a guy reverently run his hand down a poster, then get down on one knee and cross himself. Yeah, it was odd. I though, maybe it was a Passion poster, but then again it sort of looked like one for The Punisher. It turned out to be for Hellboy. WTF?! ~)

Second weird thing of the day — I took a short trip over to The World’s Biggest Book Store since I arrived downtown a little early. I noticed a group of suits milling around and I figured they must be investors. Suddenly I realized it was Heather Reisman, the CEO of Chapters/Indigo. Neato! I would have loved to introduce myself, since I am secretly a fan (even though she has totally monopolized the bookstore market in Canada), but she was talking Japanese to some powerful looking suits, so I thought better of it. It was very funny how attentive the WBBS staff was though. I must have been asked about four times if I need help with about five minutes while Heather was in that area.

Coming home, the trip was a little more normal. It was when I started to hear harp music on the subway that began to realize that this city might just be an okay place to call home.

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Pagan Speak – March

Posted on March 25, 2004 by Heather

March is quickly slipping away. Before it escapes entirely, here is this month’s Pagan Speak.


Topic 2: Sharing Ritual (thanks to Swiftpaw)

Sharing rituals with others. Would you ever? Have you ever been to a public festival and what did you think of the rituals there? Would you include a visitor from another religion in a ritual to your pantheon/deity? Have you? What was it like? Would you do it again? Does it depend on the religion of the visitor?

I am a Solitary Wiccan, which means that I worship and perform rituals alone. I am part of an online study group (an offshoot of CFFN), but I have yet to meet any of these wonderful people in person. I have also never taken part in any open or public ritual, nor have I gone out and met any Pagans or Wiccans in real life. I’m pretty sheltered due to my shyness and self-esteem issues.

That being that, I have never shared a ritual with anyone. I think part of the reason is that I would be far too embarrassed. I have been Wiccan for a long time, and I worry that knowing that someone would expect me to be rather experienced when it came to performing a ritual. I wouldn’t want my ignorance to show. My personal rituals, while honouring the essence of “typical” Wiccan rituals, are actually quite simple, quiet affairs.

I’m not sure if I would be willing to share these personal rituals with anyone, whether they are of my faith or not. My view on religion as a whole is that it is an intensely personal thing, not something to be shouted from the rooftops, shown on TV (and I mean both Christian televangelist and Wiccans here), or commercialized. Sharing with a close friend might be something I will be willing to do one day, once my relationship with the divine is more clear.

I think that one day, maybe sooner rather then later, I would like to meet some Wiccans and Pagans in my area. It would be nice to talk to some like-minded people in person. But, I can’t help but shy away because of a preconceived idea that many of us are a bit freaky. How awful is that? 🙁 I complain about the preconception all the time, yet I believe it to.

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Rain and Tests

Posted on March 24, 2004 by Heather

I haven’t got much serious work done today. In fact, I even started the day off by playing a video game. quanta and I are currently competing to see who will finish the most games by the end of the year, and I was trying to get more done on my current game while he was at work. The score is currently tied 3-3. Which is actually pretty amazing, considering I am famous for never finishing games. Three done in one year, let alone three months, is absolutely astounding.

We had our first spring rain today. It even had the fresh spring smell to it. It was wonderful, although just a little chilly, to go out for a walk and feel the rain gently hitting on my jacket. The apartment smells wonderfully like spring too, thanks to the hyacinth I bought last week. I’m not sure how much longer it is going to live though. I love plants, but I have such a hard time keeping them alive. I’ve only really had luck with my spider plant (which I think would live through a neclear bomb) and my aloe. When it gets a touch warmer, I’m going to start some herb plants as well. I dream of the day that we have a house where I can plant a garden in the backyard.

Since it was obvious that I wasn’t going to get much writing done today, I though I would try a couple of those religion selector quizes (and maybe start a meme? 😉 ). Here is the first one:

Continue reading →

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Don’t Forget Your Dreams

Posted on March 22, 2004 by Heather

I had an interesting conversation with Dr. Sexy this afternoon. Both of us are out of work right now, for various reasons. We are both well educated, although Dr. Sexy had got a better degree and more experience. And both of us are looking for something more outside of work. I want to write and focus on my spiritual search (something that I feel is difficult to do in the working world), and Dr. Sexy has plans to take over the world or something equal grand (and I’m only half kidding). He said something very smart to me though. The gist of it is work hard, but have a plan. Don’t throw away all your energy on a job that isn’t getting you where you want to go. Do what you’ve got to do, and work hard at your job, but remember your dreams. (He wasn’t as eloquent as that, but that is the idea.)

Sounds simple, but it is so easy to forget about your dreams. And I never thought I’d see that day that I’d take advice from Dr. Sexy.

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Cat’s Eye View

Posted on March 22, 2004 by Heather

I have to admit that I’m not very happy in our new apartment. We went from a 21st floor apartment in a “luxury” building (not quite as nice as it sounds, but still very nice), to a basement apartment in a normal, older building. Now, I don’t want to sound horribly spoiled, but this new place sucks compared to the old place. It is a little more then half the size, no plush carpets, no pool, etc! Whaaa! (Boy, I am a big suck!) And to top it off, we just might have an ant problem come the warm weather. 🙁

Anyway, I’m trying to find little things here that make me happy. First, we are in Toronto, not London. A huge plus, believe me. Second, we are in a nice neighbourhood. In London, we lived downtown, such as it was. In Toronto, we live near High Park and Bloor West Village, in a very quite neighbourhood. We can walk to shops and boutiques, and the subway and streetcar to Downtown aren’t far away. There is a large pond nearby and Lake Ontario is walking distance. Ducks and geese walk up and down our street! Certainly not what I expected when I thought about moving to TO.

Today, something else made me smile. We are a basement apartment, but ground level hits about halfway up the wall. We have a large front window that is about six inches above ground, and starts at about mid-chest on me. Our cat, Isis1, loves to sit on the ledge and watch the squirrels dig up their nuts from the garden. Today, I sat there with her and watched them. Since it is spring (even though it is -10

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Unconscious Mutterings

Posted on March 21, 2004 by Heather

I really should be in bed right now, but sometimes it is nice to stay up late. It is so quiet. Of course, it’s almost making me think about all the things I would have liked to get done today (uh, yesterday), but which I didn’t get around to. *sigh*

Here is this week’s Unconscious Mutterings.

  1. Wife::Husband
  2. Criminal::Law
  3. Campaign::Slogan
  4. Infection:: Disease
  5. Portland::Maine (or is it someplace else?)
  6. NASCAR:: Driver
  7. IMAX::Experience
  8. Martian::Night
  9. Nike::Goddess
  10. Trial::Judge

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Achilles’s High Heel

Posted on March 19, 2004 by Heather

My plans for today didn’t quite work out. Which, all things considered, really isn’t a surprise.

I’ve just come back from the post office and grocery store. It was a lovely walk because it is a nice late winter day outside. I wore some nice high heel boots that I have been trying to break in, thinking that I’ve worn them a few times already and the short trip in them should be fine. But, wouldn’t you know it, before I’m less then a block away, my heel is hurting. By the time I get home, I’ve got a nice sore on the back on my foot. I’ve got my jeans rolled up so they won’t rub on it. So, there go my plans to walk down to Bloor West Village this afternoon and spend some time browsing in Chapters.

So, what’s the point? Well, I bought those shoes because I liked them, but also because they are the fashionable thing right now. And, silly me, I would like to be just a little bit fashionable. But, when I wear them I don’t feel like myself. I have a another pair of rather nice boots with heels, but they aren’t high heel boots if you know what I mean. (The women probably do, while the men shake their heads.) I feel like me in those other boots. They are comfy, don’t make a lot of noise, and don’t make me very fashionable, but I like them. I think I need to stick with what is me, and not change myself to fit other people’s ideas.

Now, I’m going to slip on some sandals and get my mail, and then maybe I will bandage up my heel, put on some running shoes and head out for an afternoon of being me.

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