Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an
environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical disability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.

*Legal Disclaimer: By accepting this agreement, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Sincerely,

(Name withheld for legal, social and cultural considerations.)

Okay, now that I have that out of the way:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!

65 Questions You've Probably Never Been Asked...you know the rules. tag people in this note (including the person who tagged you!) to learn more about people. Also, try to tag people who you've tagged in other notes, sometimes you learn things in new notes that you didn't know before about them.......

1. First thing you wash in the shower?
head and face

2. What color is your favorite hoodie?
black

4. Do you plan outfits?
sometimes, but then again I look awesome no matter what.

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now?
focused

6. Whats the closest thing to you that's red?
bathrobe

7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?
it's so odd I don't know where to start, but it involved hospitals, a lot of sci fi related drama and robots the size of common insects

8. Did you meet anyone new today?
not yet

9. What are you craving right now?
white castle

10. Do you floss?
sometimes

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?
damn,, forget white castle.  Now I'm hungry for stuffed cabbage

12. Are you emotional?
pffttt..  ROFLMAO..   uh, em,, *ahem... who? me?

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000?
in French class

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?.
I start out licking it, bite it a little, lick it some more  (great who ever wrote this just made me horny)

15. Do you like your hair?
It's not that I like my hair, so much as I DISlike the lack of it.

16. Do you like yourself?
who wouldn't? (but, seriously, even I admit there are things I could work on)

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?
no.  I'd end up slapping the stupid bitch and end up in federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison

18. What are you listening to right now?
the fans of my computers

19. Are your parents strict?
whatever

20. Would you go sky diving?
hell yeah!!

21. Do you like cottage cheese?
yes.  but growing up I thought only old people liked it.  ... oh crap!  

22. Have you ever met a celebrity?
everyone is a 'celebrity', just with varying degrees of exposure.

23. Do you rent movies often?
used to

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in?
you mean besides me? hmmm....   my belt

25. How many countries have you visited?
7

26. Have you made a prank phone call?
not in a while.  I miss that.

27. Been on a train?
quite a few, each with it's own epic story, LOL

28. Brown or white eggs?
both

29. Do you have a cell-phone?
yes

30. Do you use chap stick?
nope

31. Do you own a gun?
nope

32. Can you use chop sticks?
not at all

33. Who are you going to be with tonight?
The Fucking Rockstars and all our friends!!

34. Are you too forgiving?
depends on who and for what

35. Ever been in love?
Yes

36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow?
not sure

37. Ever had cream puffs?
yes

38. Last time you cried?
few days ago

39. What was the last question you asked?
to Loki: "What the fuck are you getting into?"

40. Favorite time of the year?
Fall

41. Do you have any tattoos?
yes

42. Are you sarcastic?
pfffttt!!!  ROFLMAO!!!  me?  nooooooooo......

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?
yes.  cool movie

44. Ever walked into a wall?
literally and figuratively

45. Favorite color?
blue

46. Have you ever slapped someone?
yes. in fact, come here a sec.

47. Is your hair curly?
it was :P

48. What was the last CD you bought?
Loreena McKennitt I think

49. Do looks matter?
when you accept what's on the inside, the outside shouldn't matter.

50. Could you ever forgive a cheater?
yes

51. Is your phone bill sky high?
no

52. Do you like your life right now?
some of it

53. Do you sleep with the TV on?
no

54. Can you handle the truth?
I would rather have the truth then countless lies. 

55. Do you have good vision?
hell no.  blind as a bat.  I guess it really was true that it would make me go blind.  DAMN!

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?
yes

57. How often do you talk on the phone?
Every day

58. The last person you held hands with?
a friend

59. What are you wearing?
sweats and a t shirt

60.What is your favorite animal?
you actually have to ask this?  Uh,, just think of my name.

61. Where was your default picture taken at?
copied from the web.  It's Charlie Brown and Snoopy

62. Can you hula hoop?
hell no

63. Do you have a job?
yes

64. What was the most recent thing you bought?
potato skins

65. Have you ever crawled through a window?
LOL oh hell yeah.   Which reminds me.  How is your mom?

........................

*I have been trying to find a very specific version of this legend for several years but have been unsuccessful.  I found this version and just modified it to resemble what I remember from the version I like.

The Hummingbird and the Crane were both in love with a pretty woman. She preferred the Hummingbird, who was as handsome as the Crane was awkward, but the Crane was so persistent that in order to get rid of him she finally told him he must challenge the other to a race and she would marry the winner. The Hummingbird was so swift--almost like a flash of lightning--and the Crane so slow and heavy, that she felt sure the Hummingbird would win. She did not know the Crane could fly all night.
They agreed to start from her house and fly around the circle of the world to the beginning, and the one who came in first would marry the woman. At the word the Hummingbird darted off like an arrow and was out of sight in a moment, leaving his rival to follow heavily behind. He flew all day, and when evening came and he stopped to roost for the night he was far ahead. But the Crane flew steadily all night long, passing the Hummingbird soon after midnight and going on until he came to a creek and stopped to rest about daylight. The Hummingbird woke up in the morning and flew on again, thinking how easily he would win the race, until he reached the creek and there found the Crane spearing tadpoles, with his long bill, for breakfast. He was very much surprised and wondered how this could have happened, but he flew swiftly by and soon left the Crane out of sight again.
The Crane finished his breakfast and started on, and when evening came he kept on as before. This time it was hardly midnight when he passed the Hummingbird asleep on a limb, and in the morning he had finished his breakfast before the other came up. The next day he gained a little more, and on the fourth day he was spearing tadpoles for dinner when the Hummingbird passed him. On the fifth and sixth days it was late in the afternoon before the Hummingbird came up, and on the morning of the seventh day the Crane was ' a whole night's travel ahead. He took his time at breakfast and then fixed himself up as nicely as he could at the creek and came in at the starting place where the woman lived, early in the morning. When the Hummingbird arrived in the afternoon he found he had lost the race, but the woman declared she would never have such an ugly fellow as the Crane for a husband, so she stayed single.
The Crane was hurt by this.  He folded up his long neck, spread his wings and flew away.  Some of the People say that he turned the pain of his rejection into the beauty of his flight.  Cranes do not furiously flap their wings, but rather glide on the wind with grace and serenity.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

"One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

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Anyone who knows me is aware that everything I do has a reason.  Every thought, every action, has meaning.  I calculate every decision even the ones I KNOW are going to get me into trouble.
Many MANY years ago I found a beautiful card that I became fascinated with.  I always thought it would be neat to get a tattoo one day but I never do the easy thing or the popular choices.  If I'm going to be marked for life it's not going to be a cliched tribal arm band, or a naked woman, or the Chinese character they "said" means "tranquility" but really means "chicken with broccoli".  And, no, I wouldn't get a tramp stamp.
It had to have meaning.
So I always though this card would make a great tattoo:



For years it was "well, I don't have the money" or "I never have time to go" and "I don't know or trust anyone to do it"...  yada yada yada......
It just so happened that my friend was planning a tattoo party and needed a set number of confirmed people in order to have it.  No pun intended but something told me that it was in the cards and this was the time to do it.
We all gathered and had a great time.  In some ways I wanted to get it done just to silence the naysayers who were convinced I would chicken out or "cry like a little girl".


This was not just a hang out and have fun thing.  This was a serious Spiritual experience and there was meaning behind it, so I centered myself and called up my Wolf Spirit Guides.


The initial stencil was laid down.













Yes, I am checking email while getting it done





And there it is.

And wouldn't you know it, not only did I not cry but I never even offered a single flinch.  Sure there were times where she'd hit a tender spot and I'd say, "ok that was rough"  but never hurt at all.  So NEENER NEENER.

It's funny sometimes.  There's no rhyme or reason, no logic, to when or where or what will spark my imagination.
Last Friday I was hanging out with friends and out of nowhere in the middle of good food, drinks, and friendly conversation I just stopped.
I grabbed my phone, which luckily has a synced mobile version of Microsoft OneNote, and started writing.
My face grew serious and focused and others were wondering what my issue was.  Seriously folks, do I ever have issues?  I'm a writer.  I just think too much and feel too deeply.  But I digress....
After a few minutes I had a rough draft of what you are about to read.
Not much was changed except for a few lines, some shifts in the placement of lines, and the addition of punctuation.
I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear your interpretations and comments.


        “I Walk in the Shadows”

I am known to ordinary citizens,
    I walk through their hopes and dreams;
My presence is felt by entire nations,
    As my feet leave faint imprints in their sands.
I patiently walk through Time-
And as twilight falls upon those who meet me
    Moonlight shimmers off my gray-black cloak,
        Like stars in the heavens.

When the first living thing existed I was there,
Waiting in the shadows.
    For I am Death.
I am the younger sister of my brother, Life.
Together we travel the cosmos,
Each playing our part in the delicate balance
    Of that which Man calls existence.
We are known to all-
    From king to stable hand,
        From god to worshiper.
There is no emotional tangle,
No thought behind our actions;
We each have a job to do-
And we just do it.

Everyone is on their own path
    Their own journey through existence.
My brother guides them onto the path,
And I am there to help them leave.

Loved ones come and go-
And the pain you feel when they leave
Is in direct proportion
To the joy their arrival brings.

They are dead.
Their memories now exist within you.

You are alive.
So live.

Enjoy the moments ahead
And remember fondly the moments behind,
And share those with others.

When the last living thing dies
And the time comes for the universe to cease to exist
My job will be finished.
I will put the chairs up on the table…
    turn off the lights….
        and quietly lock the door behind me as I leave……




(c) 2009 R. Wolf Baldassarro

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