Monthly Archives: March 2008

Fresh committments

Although I am a reviewer, I have a lot of ‘occult’ books I haven’t read in a long time, or got because they looked interesting and never read at all. (If given a choice between a juicy fantasy novel I’ve read before and a dry nonfiction new book I will consistently choose to re-read.)

I’m hereby committing to reading every book, likely alphabetically (by author), that I do not immediately remember in great detail. Some of them may end up as reviews here (and cross-posted to Facing North, of course), others just as swift blurbs that capture my immediate thoughts. A few will likely be purged. (I hate purging, however. I always feel like there was something useful that I might want later.) It’s necessary to do, however, if only because I only have so much bookshelf space (45 linear feet) and it’s nearing full.

On the stack: Andrews’ 1st 3; Ruth Barrette’s  Women’s Rites; Blair’s Goddesses for Every Season; Blamire’ Glamoury; Blawyn & Jones’ Chakra Workout; Bleakley’s Fruits of the Moon Tree; three ‘Idiot’s Guides’ (Wicca Craft, Spells and Spellcraft, and Hypnosis); Collins’ Building a Magickal Relationship; and Coyle’s Evolutionary Witchcraft.

Hmm. I wonder how long this will take.

Playing Fetch, In the Car

(The following is a re-telling of the story J. told me.)

I was do some errands with Sasha — she loves going for a ride, even if it’s not anywhere she’ll actually visit — when she started to get very pushy about getting into the front seat. Her current joy is to ride with her front paws on the armrest between the seats, looking at where we’re going. Getting her to stay in the back seat, even to lie down, is a thing we’re working on right now, lots of commands along the lines of “get in the back,” “BACK,” and “lie down” accompanied (usually) by firm elbows pushing her back.

Today she was rotten about it; getting very pushy and wanting to climb into the empty front seat. Very distracting for the driver, to say the least. So I reached into my pocket where I’d stuck one of her balls before we left the house. Thinking it would keep her happily rooting about in the backseat, I tossed it over my shoulder. In a flash, she scrambled back and started trying to get it.

It took her awhile, and I was just starting to congratulate myself on successfully keeping her in the back seat, when I felt a weight on my right shoulder. Looking down, I saw the sweetest brown eyes and a big mouth holding her ball. Which she then dropped — right into my lap.

For the rest of the ride, if I didn’t move quick enough to toss that ball into the backseat, she’d do her best to climb into my lap to get it and play with it herself. (And she has a +20 bonus to her wiggle and root).

Ah yes, silly me, she’s a  retriever. I guess I’ll eventually remember that. For now — no tossing the ball in the car.

Gender Split (quiz results)


You Are 40% Boyish and 60% Girlish


You are pretty evenly split down the middle – a total eunuch.

Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes.

You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don’t actively fight them.

You’re just you. You don’t try to be what people expect you to be.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

I think I’m closer to 50/50 . . . but it’s only 10 questions.