NaNoWriMo is going pretty well so far. As of right now, I’m about 3500 words behind on my goal word count for today, but that can be easily made up. Also, I’m going to use this blog post as part of my word count. That may not be strictly legal, but I’m writing and being…
All Soul’s Night
I didn’t do a lot for Samhain. I mostly had a headache and tried to sleep to prepare for NaNoWriMo. So here. Have a song from Loreena Mckennitt. You’re welcome. 🙂 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6LbxBFtT9k
NaNoWriMo word count
I’ve done NaNo for 3 years now. The first year, my grandmother passed. Last year, my ex passed. I lost my momentum both times. However, I DID win in 2011, and I’m thinking it’s another odd year, and time to win again. This is my word count.
Apple butter from the food goat’s test kitchen
So what screams Autumn more than apples? Nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Every year, the bear and I drive to Ellijay, GA and hit up a few of the apple orchards there. Usually we just come home with some cider to ferment, but this year, I had an idea. I wanted to make apple butter. And holy…
Our poly is not like your poly
I’ve hinted at some of our dating activities in this blog before. Anyone who knows us well knows that Bear and I love each other like crazy. Anyone who knows us REALLY well knows that some of that love spills over onto other people on occasion. Polyamory, for those who haven’t heard the term, is…
Drawing mandalas
This is what I’m slightly obsessed with right now. 🙂
Health issues and the drive to have fun, dammit!
So, we recently went through another bout of health scares here in the Ravenson household. What a great way to pull my head out of my ass and put everything RIGHT back into perspective. Long story long: I went to the ER for chest pains and trouble breathing. It’s not really new, I’ve been having…
Moth symbolism
So, something you may not know about the Bear. He’s 6’6″, 300+ lbs, sports a mean-looking mohawk, and generally looks bad ass. However, he hates, hates HATES moths. He runs from our porch steps to the door as quickly as possible, because their fluttery hijinx freak him out. As his loving, doting wife, I obviously…
Liam’s playlist
Liam is a minor character in my books so far, though I intend for him to have a larger role at some time in the future. I find myself fascinated with him lately, possibly because his patron deity is Cernunnos, and I’m feeling very drawn to Cernunnos right now too. (Maybe because it’s nearing Autumn,…
DragonCon debriefing
DragonCon is really my favorite holiday of the year for various reasons. First, I get to see friends that I don’t see at any other time of year. And it’s always so familiar and lovely, and I can’t hug them enough when I do see them. Second, there are amazing writing panels there that really…
Finished Altar of Change- what’s next?
So I finally finished my novel about 2 weeks ago. I kept having to psych myself up to write a really tough scene, but when I sat down to write it, it wasn’t that difficult after all. And I had planned to get to 125K words, but when I finished the tough scene, I realized…
Spiritual purification bath
Several drops of purification oil A tablespoon of sage (crumbled) A few tablespoons of pink himalayan salt Ravi Shankar Sage and cedar incense
Things to let go of.
I’m working on a ritual that I’ll be doing on the new moon on June 8th. I’m feeling bogged down in everything lately, and I need to let go. I need to clear my brain so that I can move onto bigger and better. I’ve internalized a lot of anger and sadness about a lot…
Write your story in six words
Need to let go and live.
Places to go
… Because sometimes I’m obsessive about making lists. San Francisco -> Vancouver (rent a car and drive North, stopping at all the pretty forests and tree landmarks) Scotland -> England -> Wales (rent a car and visit standing stones, ruins, and cemeteries, staying in small B&Bs) Acadia National Park Yellowstone Yosemite Canadian Rockies (by train)…
Wicca/Paganism 201
The world is flooded with Wicca 101, whether that’s in books, videos, websites, or even movies. That’s one of the main reasons why I get bored with my faith and lose interest for long stretches of time, because I keep seeing the same information over and over and over again, just regurgitated and repackaged. That’s…
Frozen Corgi Pandas
And tonight was the night that we watched ALL THE CORGI VIDEOS!!
Relationship spread, 4/16/13
Preface: Bear and I have been seeing someone since roughly December. She’s very limited as far as the time she can spend with us, but we usually manage to see each other once/week. I’ve been fine with that. I know that a relationship isn’t measured in time, but in emotions. Bear and I had a…
Ways to be nicer to myself
Lately I’ve been feeling some pain. I’m not sure exactly what it is, and I don’t have insurance so finding out will be tough. I need to get to one of the community clinics here near home, but there are so many hoops to jump through, that the idea just stresses me out. And I…
Woodpecker
Yesterday we had breakfast with some friends that Bear had made through his voice-acting volunteer work. They were lovely. We shot the shit about random things, and just generally had a great time. They were very welcoming and fun to hang out with. After we had enjoyed our breakfast, (bacon and pancakes- ALWAYS a winning…
Tarot spread 3/22/13
I’ve been at a major crossroads lately. Our finances are just completely out of control (NOT in a good way), and so I asked for a general reading as far as what was coming up this year, and with our finances specifically. First Impressions: there are a LOT of Earth/Disc cards in this spread. So…
Unguarded.
That’s how you make me feel. Recently, I’ve been spending time with my family. They most certainly make me feel guarded. I have to watch everything I say, I have to omit, I have to protect myself and you from their judgment and their spite. I get tense, I stop smiling so much, I throw…
Imbolc, Pando, and the Korean sauna
I haven’t been very active here or anywhere else lately. You see, January is very tough for me. In addition to the usual seasonal depression that I think we all feel around this time of year, I have a lot of birthday issues/family issues/bad memories from Januaries past that pretty much put me in a…
2013- goals and better luck
In my last post, I vented about all the things that went horribly, horribly wrong last year. And there was a lot. It seemed neverending at times. However, I truly am an optimist. I tend towards stupid optimism, even. Even when I get truly depressed and feel victimized, I usually come back around and start…
2012 in review
2012 has been a rough year. I have been broken and rebuilt in ways that have stunned me, and I feel like I need to record it all here. Maybe that will make it all seem less surreal, less like a movie of someone else’s life. January: Lost my job. I trained throughout November and…
Yule Lads, Julbock, and Liquer recipes
So, a few weeks ago, I decided that we were going to have a damn good Yule, dammit. And so far, it’s been pretty good. I decided to make gifts, which has consisted of making liquers and baking goodies. I also made my mom and sister some scrying incense and scrying candles. THE LIQUERS I…
Introduction to Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight, Stand like Druids of old, with voices sad and prophetic, Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms. Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring…
Yule and mistletoe
So, yeah. We’re making a go of this incense thing. I’ve been making incense for the sabbats anyways, and one of my favorite parts is gathering the ingredients. For Samhain, we gathered fresh cypress needles from a cemetery. They were LOVELY. They really made the incense pop. For Yule, we began scanning the landscape for…
Ravenson Reagents- Handcrafted incense
Hi guys! Just wanted to let you know that I’ll be doing a lot of work on my other blog, RavensonReagents.wordpress.com. Bear and I are going to be making handcrafted incense, eventually for sale. We’re beginning with the great kyphi experiment of 2012/2013. (The ingredients are expensive, so it will take us a while to…