Back in the Handbasket

The last few days have not been all that great. I've been trying to get together another loan, going back and forth between two (Completely unhelpful) colleges, my parents, and the loan company. Everything is on hold until Monday. Alice is having the exact same issue, so we're just praying we don't get sent home, since we already spent $1000 on nonrefundable tickets for our return trip.

This weekend, I am trying to relax and put all of that out my head since there is nothing I can do about it. I'm doing laundry, and that's about it. Yesterday I downloaded some MP3 versions of Dr. Who and Torchwood, as well as several podcasts. We don't have a working tv in the apartment, so our laptops have started to get overloaded with itunes movies and tv downloads. I also picked up Threadbanger, Fairy Knits, and The Knitting Newscast off of itunes. They give me something new to listen too. Even with 1.5 GB of music on my laptop, I still need something fresh every once in a while.

I'm getting ready to start the fourth ball of yarn on the Turkish Rib Tank top, which I decided will actually have cap sleeves. I'm about 80% finished with the embroidery on my first batik project, and should have photos of that shortly. The crocheted bag I started last week is down to just the flap and the strap, so I'll probably finish it during my creative writing class tomorrow, with the lining to come Tuesday, probably.

Alas, there shall be no knitting for me today. My wrists are acting up again, demanding that I take a day off from everything. So Today will be laundry, reading, and the odd podcast or two, if I can borrow the charger from Cho. Mine will (hopefully) be here tomorrow. With any luck customs won't have had a problem with it. They've already deprived me of my homemade cookies, they had better not have messed with my charger!

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Peace Project News
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As of this morning, we are now up to 60 sign ups. I would like to thank you all for your wonderful support.

I would also like to call attention to the fact that we have a Gay Pride and Pagan Pride flag, and would like to throw out an invitation to all who are interested to submit flags representing Christianity, Bhuddism, Hinduism, Shinto, Judaism, atheism, and Islam. There is no way to deny that throughout history, religious differences have been major causes of turmoil in our world. I would like to include these with the country flags (I think that I myself might take a flag to represent the asexuals, since we already have a gay pride flag. Got to represent the minorities, here).

While I was listening to old episodes of the Knitting Newscast, it occured to me that podcasts would be a great way to get the word out about this project. What podcasts do you listen to? Do you have one of your own? Please let me know so that I might drop them a line and see if they could promote the project. I have a few podcasts that I listen to, but most of them have not updated for quite a while, so I'm looking for new ones.

Just a little something in passing

Here is a little thing I found on Fireflyacademy.org earlier:

from: http://diannesylvan.typepad.com/dancing_down_the_moon/2008/01/witch-please.html
Witch, Please.

Here are the things I don't care about:

I don't care what the name of your religion is.
I don't care what the names of your gods are.
I don't care how old your religion is.
I don't care if your great-great-whatever grandmother passed down your famtrad Book of Shadows under the watchful eye of the Inquisition.
I don't care if an entire civilization worshipped your Goddess for ten thousand years.
I don't care if you made Her up based on manga or Tolkien or a dream you had.
I don't care where you place your altar.
I don't care which direction you call Earth.
I don't care how psychic you are.
I don't care if you're smarter than me.
I don't care why you eat meat, or don't.
I don't care how many shields you think you need.
I don't care how your childhood trauma made you a powerful magickian.
I don't care if you spell "magic" with a k.
I don't care if you were an Atlantean Magus in your last life.
I don't care if you're brand-spanking new.
I don't care how much you hate Christians.
I don't care how many degrees you have.
I don't care if people call you "Lady" or "Lord."
I don't care if you're King of all Londinium and wear a shiny hat.
I don't care if you can read minds or light candles with your breath.
I don't care how the world owes you a living.
I don't care if you've been studying the Craft for thirty years or thirty minutes.
I don't care what your totem animal is, especially if it's a wolf, raven, or unicorn.
I don't care if you can trace your lineage back to Gardner.
I don't care if you think I'm a moron, fraud, or basket case.
I don't care how many books you've read.
I don't care how much or how little money you have.

What do I care about?

I care that your religion has made you a kinder, more compassionate person.
I care that you can hold down a job.
I care that you're growing past whatever happened to you as a child or last year.
I care that your gods help you become stronger without coddling you.
I care that you are willing and able to adapt and change as your life does.
I care that you care about the Earth.
I care that you care about someone and something outside yourself.
I care that you practice your religion with devotion and reverence.
I care that you respect others' paths.
I care that you never stop learning.
I care that you can conduct adult relationships with respect and understanding.
I care that you get how hilarious life is.
I care that you know when to ask for help.
I care that you realize that someone will always be smarter, more powerful, and more together than you.
I care that you realize it doesn't matter, because tomorrow you'll be smarter, more powerful, and more together than you were yesterday.
I care that you have reasons for everything you do, even if those reasons are purely intuitive.
I care that you can admit when you're wrong.
I care that you know you're both a tiny speck in a vast universe and a rare, precious jewel in the darkened sky.
I care that you're making a difference.
I care that you know when to speak and when to shut the hell up.
I care that you are seeking a relationship with Deity and with Nature.
I care that you are healthy.
I care that you're contributing to your family and community.
I care that your capacity for love and joy increase with every passing year.
I care that you believe in yourself.
I care that you're doing the best you can.

I lovely sentiment. I've been thinking about religion and peace a lot, just because I've been surrounded by churches and religious images. I'm all for following your own path, but when I have Catholic doctrine shoved down my throat 24/7, it's little irritating. I needed to step back and take a breath.

I also have a few offerings I need to make. Alice and I promised Hecate, Hermes, and Zeus black licorice, gum drops, and sherbert lemons for getting us to Europe safely, and since we've been here for three weeks already, it's about time we did that. Do you think we'll get strange looks for burying a bag of candy in the central courtyard of our apartment?