Let us speak for a moment about Mercury Retrograde, shall we? Mercury went into retrograde on Wednesday, 26 June 2013. What does that mean? Rather than totally type it all out again, I refer you to John Marani's first post on the topic back in 2011. Suffice it to say, all kinds of communication goes sideways. Things do not happen as planned. People get screwed. Electronics die. It blows.
My brother John eloquently described Mercury Retrograde and its fuckery thus far, or at least how it has impacted him, J Sunny, and their beautiful Momo.
Allow me to share some of my joyful experiences. First, let me say that I was born with Mercury in retrograde in my natal chart. This means, typically, that I am not quite as impacted by the hell that is Mercury in retrograde. Typically.
Let me be clear. Mercury rules the sign of Gemini (my sign). I have the utmost respect and affection for Mercury. He can kick some serious ass when He goes into retrograde. You can't *not* respect that. Day one of Mercury Retrograde was not pretty. It was especially not pretty because I spent it at work, where we do nothing but communicate all. freaking. day. Half the staff couldn't access Outlook, which isn't good because we do a lot of coordinating with outside treatment providers via email. Phone calls got disconnected, group was chaotic, and staff ran around like chickens with our heads cut off as we tried to figure out WHAT THE FUCK was going on.
First we're scrambling to get a refill of a medication. We ask the treating psychiatrist to fax prescriptions to the pharmacy. Excellent, got that done. The pharmacy calls to get the insurance info. Fantastic, check that off. Then the client comes and says that she doesn't want the medication filled at our pharmacy, because she doesn't like the medication that comes from our pharmacy, because it doesn't work.
I'm sorry, say what now?
Yes, we actually had to call and have the refills cancelled. Then we had to call the psychiatrist back and explain the situation, so that the psychiatrist could call the refills in to the client's preferred pharmacy. That was like an hour of telephone tag and voice mails and cursing at the sound of the call being dropped.
Day one, people. Day one.
::headdesk::
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
28 June 2013
10 May 2013
Free for All Friday: Moving and Cleaning
Also known as "I love my sister but I must be crazy."
So welcome to the new schedule of posts here at Lyre's Musings! In honor of our first Free for All Friday, I have a fantastic rant for you.
Last weekend I helped one of my sisters move. Now, I've been helping her off and on over the last month with packing in preparation of said move. I didn't think we'd survive. :-) She got a late start and, boy, I thought there'd be packing right up until the last minute. By some miracle, she got most of the packing done in advance. Her husband, well. I love my brother-in-law, but woah. He has many, many talents. Packing is not one of them.
So, Saturday is "U-haul brings belongings from townhouse in Pville to apt in Woodbridge" day. Being the good sister I am, I managed to be available (with some help from my supervisor who needed someone to switch from Sat night to Tues day for coverage and asked me first). The plan, according to my brother-in-law, was for my sister and I to stay inside the apartment and direct incoming boxes/items and/or move boxes/items to their designated places. This is one of many reasons I absolutely love my brother-in-law. Allow me to delegate and NOT have to lug boxes out of the U-haul and up the stairs? HELL YES. No prob, Bob.
Things are plugging along fairly nicely and then it's after 7pm and the U-Haul is empty. My sister needs to take my brother-in-law's nephews back to Pville. Ugh. She also has to return the U-haul. Double Ugh. Plus, her cats (my fur nieces and nephews) are still in Pville and she really wants to bring them back to the apt. She's been up and moving since 7am. Does she need sleep? Desperately. But she goes and does all of that, leaving me to help unpack.
Love is letting your sister set up your altar for you so it's done. Love is also using that trust to set up the altar in a way that your sister will be happy. Needless to say, it took me an hour to unpack all the altar supplies and another 30 minutes to set it up in a way that would make her happy. Then I started unpacking the bedroom stuff, so that her room was more the master bedroom and less of a room with a ton of shit in it. As a military brat, I have moved more times than I care to remember. Bedrooms and kitchen were always the first to be unpacked. In that order. She came back, cats in tow, and we set them free in the apartment to explore.
She cried when she saw her bedroom. Boy, did I have moment of "Crap! She doesn't like something! I can fix it, I can fix it!" Fortunately, it was a good kind of cry.
The next two days were clean the townhouse so that they'd get the security deposit back. Want good exercise? Scrub the hell out of a townhouse - kitchens, bathrooms. My arms ached for days afterwards. Good workout, though, I guess.
The most important thing is that my sister (and brother-in-law and fur nieces and nephew) are back in Woodbridge and I don't have to drive over an hour to see them. :-)
Happy Friday!
So welcome to the new schedule of posts here at Lyre's Musings! In honor of our first Free for All Friday, I have a fantastic rant for you.
Last weekend I helped one of my sisters move. Now, I've been helping her off and on over the last month with packing in preparation of said move. I didn't think we'd survive. :-) She got a late start and, boy, I thought there'd be packing right up until the last minute. By some miracle, she got most of the packing done in advance. Her husband, well. I love my brother-in-law, but woah. He has many, many talents. Packing is not one of them.
So, Saturday is "U-haul brings belongings from townhouse in Pville to apt in Woodbridge" day. Being the good sister I am, I managed to be available (with some help from my supervisor who needed someone to switch from Sat night to Tues day for coverage and asked me first). The plan, according to my brother-in-law, was for my sister and I to stay inside the apartment and direct incoming boxes/items and/or move boxes/items to their designated places. This is one of many reasons I absolutely love my brother-in-law. Allow me to delegate and NOT have to lug boxes out of the U-haul and up the stairs? HELL YES. No prob, Bob.
Things are plugging along fairly nicely and then it's after 7pm and the U-Haul is empty. My sister needs to take my brother-in-law's nephews back to Pville. Ugh. She also has to return the U-haul. Double Ugh. Plus, her cats (my fur nieces and nephews) are still in Pville and she really wants to bring them back to the apt. She's been up and moving since 7am. Does she need sleep? Desperately. But she goes and does all of that, leaving me to help unpack.
Love is letting your sister set up your altar for you so it's done. Love is also using that trust to set up the altar in a way that your sister will be happy. Needless to say, it took me an hour to unpack all the altar supplies and another 30 minutes to set it up in a way that would make her happy. Then I started unpacking the bedroom stuff, so that her room was more the master bedroom and less of a room with a ton of shit in it. As a military brat, I have moved more times than I care to remember. Bedrooms and kitchen were always the first to be unpacked. In that order. She came back, cats in tow, and we set them free in the apartment to explore.
She cried when she saw her bedroom. Boy, did I have moment of "Crap! She doesn't like something! I can fix it, I can fix it!" Fortunately, it was a good kind of cry.
The next two days were clean the townhouse so that they'd get the security deposit back. Want good exercise? Scrub the hell out of a townhouse - kitchens, bathrooms. My arms ached for days afterwards. Good workout, though, I guess.
The most important thing is that my sister (and brother-in-law and fur nieces and nephew) are back in Woodbridge and I don't have to drive over an hour to see them. :-)
Happy Friday!
29 April 2013
Y is for...
Today is day twenty-five of the A to Z Challenge!
We're almost there. :-)
Today's topic is Yule, or the Winter Solstice. This is the second Sabbat of the Wheel of the Year (the first was Samhain).
Yule is the celebration of the rebirth of the God, who as I mentioned in the Samhain post, died at Samhain. It's the longest night of the year, but it is the joyful celebration of the light's return. Many of today's modern Christmas decorations and symbols do harken to the time of this pagan holiday: evergreen boughs (the Druids believed they symbolized immortality), candles (the return of light and the Sun), the Yule Log, the decorated evergreen tree.
For me, Yule is a time of celebrating what I have and the promise of a new start. It's the opportunity to thank the God and Goddess for shining Their light into my life. It is joy and laughter and music with the people who mean the most to me, my family. Yes, it is also a time of gift-giving, but it's important to remember that the gift we are giving symbolizes the gift of life of the God. By giving a gift, we are honoring the person who is receiving it, because they are important to us, and we are honoring the Divine.
Yule is the celebration of the rebirth of the God, who as I mentioned in the Samhain post, died at Samhain. It's the longest night of the year, but it is the joyful celebration of the light's return. Many of today's modern Christmas decorations and symbols do harken to the time of this pagan holiday: evergreen boughs (the Druids believed they symbolized immortality), candles (the return of light and the Sun), the Yule Log, the decorated evergreen tree.
For me, Yule is a time of celebrating what I have and the promise of a new start. It's the opportunity to thank the God and Goddess for shining Their light into my life. It is joy and laughter and music with the people who mean the most to me, my family. Yes, it is also a time of gift-giving, but it's important to remember that the gift we are giving symbolizes the gift of life of the God. By giving a gift, we are honoring the person who is receiving it, because they are important to us, and we are honoring the Divine.
23 April 2013
T is for...
It's day twenty of the A to Z Challenge. :-)
Today's topic is Tubing.
When I was little, we moved a lot because my mom was in the Air Force. The only place in my world that was constant was Grandma G's, out in the country. She lived about 20 minutes outside of Covington and just below Gathright Dam and Lake Moomaw.
In the summers, which were hot, we'd cool off by playing in the Jackson River, which flowed through her backyard. We'd splash and look for fun stones to skip. Mostly, though, we'd climb into big inner tubes and float down the river. There was this one access point where someone had tied a rope to a tree. We'd reach the access point, climb out of the water with our tubes, leave tubes on the shore, and then swing out and SPLASH into the river at a deep spot.
 |
| Jackson River Access Point |
Isn't that just inviting? Don't you just want to jump in and cool off? Okay, maybe not yet, but come back and look at this picture in the middle of the sweltering summer. Yeah, it'll be inviting.
Anyway. Once we'd finished with the swinging out on the rope and swimming back to shore a bunch of times, we'd hoist up our tubes and walk up the Access Point road (I use the word road loosely, it was just gravel) until we got back to Natural Well Rd and then went up to the spring.
 |
| Spring |
If this image seems familiar, it should. It's the cover to Pieces of the Soul. This place was such an intergral part of my life, it was only natural that I used it for my book cover.
So, we'd walk to the spring, tubes on our shoulders or balancing on our heads (I was a kid, remember?), and we'd gulp the fresh spring water. Oh, it was nice and cold and it hit the spot! The spring is just off the road, in this well shaded area. It's cool and inviting. That old cooler you see in the picture, you can actually step into it, if you're brave enough to submerge your feet in the FREEZING cold water.
After drinking our fill, we'd walk back to Grandma G's and start all over again. It was the best way to spend a summer day at her house.
Do you have any places that tug, not just on your heart strings, but on your soul? Tell me about them!
13 April 2013
L is for...
Hello, and welcome to day twelve of the A to Z Challenge!
Today's topic is Lughnasadh, or Lammas.
Well, that was the original plan for this post, anyway. Yesterday, I traveled to my alma mater, Roanoke College, for my ten year reunion. I didn't go to my ten year high school reunion; I didn't feel compelled to do so. Somehow, though, I found myself anxiously waiting to see who would be at 'dear old Roanoke,' who I might get to catch up with during the whirlwind of activities.
I spent the evening at FOTQ (Friday on the Quad, a cookout/picnic event with a band) and at my sorority house. Then I ate dinner with some good friends at my home away from dorm room, Macado's.
It left me thinking about the kinds of love we encounter in our lives: friends, sorority sisters (or, for some, fraternity brothers), family, spouses, nieces, nephews, children, and places. It's the latter that struck me the most today, seeing all the familiar haunts from four amazing years in my life.
So, I'll leave you with a moment from yesterday where I was reminded of the beauty of a place and the love it can hold.
standing on elizabeth campus feeling the warm breeze
a stillness
not just deep within
but carried on the wind
a peace
so potent in the moment
that all is right with the world and you
laughter and music drifting
lazily in the fading sunlight
scent of spring
soft
gentle
tickling
juxtaposed
with memories
of other days just like this
so long ago
face turned
catching the last rays of twilight
that glint off the windows
that once shielded you
now...
looking in and seeing the past
as the future looks backr
06 April 2013
F is for...
Welcome to day six of the A to Z challenge!
Today's topic is one that is near and dear to my heart: family.
Family can be blood and genes: aunts, grandmothers, sisters, uncles, brothers, nephews, fathers. It's people that are bound to you, maybe whether you want them to be or not. They're the people you love no matter what they do, partially because you have to and partially because you just do. They know all the stories, all the tears, all the dreams, all the happy moments. They're the reminders of our own mortality and, sometimes, that insanity is only a breath away.
Family can also be created. It's the close friend we've had since high school, the roommate in college who came home with us on all our breaks, and the coworker that is your work spouse. The family we choose is so totally different from the family we're born into because we feel like they understand us better. Family of choice supports our decisions and ideas, mostly because their beliefs are similar to our own. Especially in cases where we feel singular or alone (due to religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or other lifestyle choices/experiences that cause us to feel socially isolated or separate), family of choice is a critical element to our emotional well-being.
I have both - family of origin and family of choice. I am an only child. No siblings. Yet, I have seven sisters and two brothers, all through my created family. Through my "siblings," I have six nieces and nephews. I love them all as if they were my own family. My siblings call my parents Mom and Dad. They know everything that's important in my life, because I couldn't imagine not sharing everything with them.
Do you have an 'extended' family? Where have you met some of yours?
19 March 2013
Sedona
So, this is post 2 in the vacation in Arizona series.
When last I left you, my small but loyal readers, I had safely arrived in Arizona with my sisters and niece. And some seriously impressive views.
We started our first day in Sedona early. By early, I mean sunrise.
How gorgeous is that, I ask you?
We had a very busy day. We had a lot places to hit.
We hiked around Cathedral Rock and took a zillion pictures.
Okay, maybe only approximately 400, but still. A lot of pictures.
I got to meditate at one of the energy vortexes. It was a truly amazing experience and there are not words for how clear and strong and peaceful I felt after my meditation ended.
I was skeptical going to Sedona, hearing all this talk about "energy spots" and how "amazing the energy is" there. Anyone in the pagan community will understand when I say it sounded "woowoo" to me. For a witch, I have a pretty good head on my shoulders. I'm practical, I think things through, and if it sounds to out there... well, let's just say I am not one to jump on the bandwagon.
I don't know if it's healing, or if the energy spots can really be "masculine" or "feminine" (seriously, I saw a website that said that). What I do know is that I felt great while we were there. I felt amazing after meditating. That's good enough for me.
We also went to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which was very small, but absolutely lovely.
We ate lunch at a fantastic restaurant at the Tlaquepaque shopping area. I had flautas. They were awesome. Yum. Sorry, distracted. Where was I?
We did a lot of shopping, actually. More interesting, however, was the fun before lunch and shopping. We stopped by Center for the New Age. Yes, we did some shopping there, too. We (and by we, I mean Riz and me) got our auras photographed.
Take a moment. Go ahead and read it again. I know. I just finished telling you I had a pretty good head on my shoulders and that I don't really go for that woowoo crap. Now I'm telling you I got a picture taken of my aura.
Oh, there has to be a really inappropriate joke there somewhere, but I just can't think of it.
Well, it helped that the woman who took the photos and then reviewed them with us, Jamie, was also quite grounded and practical. I sat on a little sofa, placed my hands on some biofeedback plates, and *SNAP*, photo done. Then she went over it with me.
I am, apparently, the poster child for aura photos. So said Jamie. This is because all the things that she saw for my 'life path' I was already doing. BOO. YAH. That's right. I'm awesome.
What? I am.
Next up was Rizzie and she was dead on the mark about her, too. Two for two. Not one iota off. I must admit, I was impressed. So. If you go to Sedona, have an aura reading with Jamie. I'd love to hear what you think!
Of course, the best part of the day was that it was spent with Lana and Mia.
Mia is full of energy and a super expressive face. She had us in stitches ALL DAY LONG. Seriously.
All day.
Sigh. I miss her.
Well, on that sad note... I think I'll wrap up Day 2 of the Arizona vacation. Tune in for the next installment!
When last I left you, my small but loyal readers, I had safely arrived in Arizona with my sisters and niece. And some seriously impressive views.
We started our first day in Sedona early. By early, I mean sunrise.
 |
| View from our hotel |
We had a very busy day. We had a lot places to hit.
 |
| Here's one, from the trail. |
We hiked around Cathedral Rock and took a zillion pictures.
Okay, maybe only approximately 400, but still. A lot of pictures.
 |
| Om |
I was skeptical going to Sedona, hearing all this talk about "energy spots" and how "amazing the energy is" there. Anyone in the pagan community will understand when I say it sounded "woowoo" to me. For a witch, I have a pretty good head on my shoulders. I'm practical, I think things through, and if it sounds to out there... well, let's just say I am not one to jump on the bandwagon.
I don't know if it's healing, or if the energy spots can really be "masculine" or "feminine" (seriously, I saw a website that said that). What I do know is that I felt great while we were there. I felt amazing after meditating. That's good enough for me.
We also went to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which was very small, but absolutely lovely.
We ate lunch at a fantastic restaurant at the Tlaquepaque shopping area. I had flautas. They were awesome. Yum. Sorry, distracted. Where was I?
We did a lot of shopping, actually. More interesting, however, was the fun before lunch and shopping. We stopped by Center for the New Age. Yes, we did some shopping there, too. We (and by we, I mean Riz and me) got our auras photographed.
Take a moment. Go ahead and read it again. I know. I just finished telling you I had a pretty good head on my shoulders and that I don't really go for that woowoo crap. Now I'm telling you I got a picture taken of my aura.
Oh, there has to be a really inappropriate joke there somewhere, but I just can't think of it.
Well, it helped that the woman who took the photos and then reviewed them with us, Jamie, was also quite grounded and practical. I sat on a little sofa, placed my hands on some biofeedback plates, and *SNAP*, photo done. Then she went over it with me.
I am, apparently, the poster child for aura photos. So said Jamie. This is because all the things that she saw for my 'life path' I was already doing. BOO. YAH. That's right. I'm awesome.
What? I am.
Next up was Rizzie and she was dead on the mark about her, too. Two for two. Not one iota off. I must admit, I was impressed. So. If you go to Sedona, have an aura reading with Jamie. I'd love to hear what you think!
 |
| Aren't they cute? |
Of course, the best part of the day was that it was spent with Lana and Mia.
Mia is full of energy and a super expressive face. She had us in stitches ALL DAY LONG. Seriously.
All day.
Sigh. I miss her.
Well, on that sad note... I think I'll wrap up Day 2 of the Arizona vacation. Tune in for the next installment!
10 March 2013
Adventures in Air Travel
My sister, Riz, traveled with me to Arizona so we could see our sister, Lana, and her daughter, Mia.
Our day started very early. I didn't set my alarm right. Fortunately, Daddy's alarm went off and woke me up. Rizzie knew I was awake when she heard, "OH CRAP!" We managed to get our stuff loaded and Mom drove us to the airport. 5:20am on the HOV is interesting. It was kind of scary how many people were on I-95 already.
We checked our bags and headed to security. This was my first experience with the body scanner. Little did I know that the bling on the butt pockets would lead to a pat check and hand swab. No, really. The blingy button on my pockets showed up as anomalies or something. They had to check me. Then I got to do the hand swab. I was a little afeared that my lotion would mark me as a terrorist (like Jeff Dunham), but I passed so I got to keep going.
We're sitting at our gate, whiling away the time, minding our own business when a swarm of kids arrived. I don't really mind the groups of kids in airports (most of the time); there were a couple kinds in this group that were annoying as hell. First, there were the two girls who couldn't seem to stop laughing while desperately trying to get one of their friends' attention from across an aisle. They were directly across from us. They were loud. Then there was the kid who clearly skipped both crawling AND standing before walking. I know this to be true because every time this kid tried to stand up, he fell on his face. I kid you not!!! Every time! I've never seen a teen so incapable of standing. His friends just laughed at him.
The flight was nice - what little of it I was awake for, anyway. The poor girl sitting next to me in the row apparently climbed over me, twice, while I was passed out. This is what happens when you're awake for 24 hours and then only sleep about 4 before traveling. Just saying.
Our layover in Chicago was miraculous, if only because we didn't have to change terminals. At all. I have never (that I can recall) been so lucky at Chicago O'Hare. It was AMAZING.
It was our flight from Chicago to Phoenix, however, that proved most entertaining. First, the woman in the seat in front of me did not seem to grasp following basic instructions. The flight attendants announce to "please fasten your seat belts." She did not. They instructed the powering down of all electronic devices. She was still on her phone. It took two more prompts before she finally clued in and did as instructed. Then, later in the flight, she turned into Mary Poppins. I say this because she pulled this bag out from under the seat in front of her and, lo and behold, it was the never ending bag. She kept pulling stuff out of this bag - another bag, two jackets, a makeup bag, a purse. Seriously, Riz can back me up. Never. Ending. Bag. How she got the damn thing to fit under the seat in front of her is beyond me. Just bizarre.
We had a great experience with Alamo car rental when we got to Pheonix. We ended up with a Dodge Charger (sweet):
Such a beautiful place!
We checked in at the Sky Ranch Lodge, which also had amazing views and good accommodations. If you're going to Sedona, I definitely recommend staying there.
All in all, it was a great start to a wonderful vacation!
Our day started very early. I didn't set my alarm right. Fortunately, Daddy's alarm went off and woke me up. Rizzie knew I was awake when she heard, "OH CRAP!" We managed to get our stuff loaded and Mom drove us to the airport. 5:20am on the HOV is interesting. It was kind of scary how many people were on I-95 already.
We checked our bags and headed to security. This was my first experience with the body scanner. Little did I know that the bling on the butt pockets would lead to a pat check and hand swab. No, really. The blingy button on my pockets showed up as anomalies or something. They had to check me. Then I got to do the hand swab. I was a little afeared that my lotion would mark me as a terrorist (like Jeff Dunham), but I passed so I got to keep going.
We're sitting at our gate, whiling away the time, minding our own business when a swarm of kids arrived. I don't really mind the groups of kids in airports (most of the time); there were a couple kinds in this group that were annoying as hell. First, there were the two girls who couldn't seem to stop laughing while desperately trying to get one of their friends' attention from across an aisle. They were directly across from us. They were loud. Then there was the kid who clearly skipped both crawling AND standing before walking. I know this to be true because every time this kid tried to stand up, he fell on his face. I kid you not!!! Every time! I've never seen a teen so incapable of standing. His friends just laughed at him.
The flight was nice - what little of it I was awake for, anyway. The poor girl sitting next to me in the row apparently climbed over me, twice, while I was passed out. This is what happens when you're awake for 24 hours and then only sleep about 4 before traveling. Just saying.
Our layover in Chicago was miraculous, if only because we didn't have to change terminals. At all. I have never (that I can recall) been so lucky at Chicago O'Hare. It was AMAZING.
It was our flight from Chicago to Phoenix, however, that proved most entertaining. First, the woman in the seat in front of me did not seem to grasp following basic instructions. The flight attendants announce to "please fasten your seat belts." She did not. They instructed the powering down of all electronic devices. She was still on her phone. It took two more prompts before she finally clued in and did as instructed. Then, later in the flight, she turned into Mary Poppins. I say this because she pulled this bag out from under the seat in front of her and, lo and behold, it was the never ending bag. She kept pulling stuff out of this bag - another bag, two jackets, a makeup bag, a purse. Seriously, Riz can back me up. Never. Ending. Bag. How she got the damn thing to fit under the seat in front of her is beyond me. Just bizarre.
We had a great experience with Alamo car rental when we got to Pheonix. We ended up with a Dodge Charger (sweet):
The drive to Sedona from Phoenix wasn't too bad. Beautiful weather for the most part. One of our first real views of the area came from a scenic view heading into Sedona.
We checked in at the Sky Ranch Lodge, which also had amazing views and good accommodations. If you're going to Sedona, I definitely recommend staying there.
All in all, it was a great start to a wonderful vacation!
28 August 2012
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