Road Trip!

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to show "Worth It?" at the Code Pink Mother's Day Vigil, on May 9-10. I'm going to send them the piece, but I'd really like to drive down and take part as well. The problem is...well, I'm in college. I barely have enough cash to live off of right now, even if I tap into the Emergency Fund (about $150).

I need $150 to go down (we'll be staying with Alice's parents, so most of our food and all of our lodging will be free). If you would like to help fund this little road trip, then you can check out my etsy shop. All of my jewelry is clearance to $10 or less right now. Even if that is all you buy, it would be a big help in getting me down there.

I hate to ask, but I think that the cause is important and I really want to take part. If I go, I'll also be taking information on the Peace Project with me.

If you are going to be in the DC area from May 8-10, I'd love to meet up at the show. I'll be there both days, and things start at 1 pm on the 9th.

Thanks!

The Plague of Locusts

Dear Retail Consumer,

Our store is very easy to navigate: fitting rooms are under the FITTING ROOM sign, restrooms are under the RESTROOM sign and womens sizes are located under the sign that says WOMENS. Now please get out of juniors because you are not a size seven. Put down the canary yellow leggings and back away slowly.

Your kid is not cute, and even if he was it would not excuse the fact that he is screaming, running, and making a general mess of the store. It would be very helpful if you would spend as much time corralling your child as you do wondering if that lime-green jersey knit dress that costs more than I make in a week will look good on you (it won't. For one thing, that's not your color and for another that style wouldn't look good on a size 00 model. It would make your ass look like a zeppelin).

And another work about your kid, because I know it was him. If I catch him spitting his half-chewed candy into purses, I'll take him out back and beat him myself.

I have enough to do every night without having to clean up after you. If there's an item you don't want, either put it on the reject rack of the fitting room or, better yet, put it back where you found it rather than hanging it off the collar of another item, draping it over a rack, or cramming it into a rack that is already overfull.

And before you ask, no, I am not bitter. Not in the least. I just spend 20-30 hours a week chasing after you and your ilk, cleaning up your messes and getting paid minimum wage for a job that is not even remotely challenging mentally, unless you count my ability to put up with you and your inane questions. If you can afford to spend $139.99 on an ugly purse just because it has a designer logo on it, then you damn well can drive the ten miles to make sure that the one we have is the one you wanted that the other store was sold out of.

Thanks,

Retail Associates Everywhere

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?