Name of the Wind

So, a little bit over a year ago, my coworker lent me her copy of this book to read:

And me being the flitting-around, dabbling reader that I am, I read a few chapters and got distracted by George R. R. Martin's series and several other books.

BUT NOW I am reading Name of the Wind! And you know what the other awesome thing is? It will not only fulfill my books for my To-Do List, but it's got Pagan themes, including spell work and magic, supernatural creatures, etc so it counts for the Reading Challenge!

And you know, now that I've picked it back up, I love it. It's got characters that are fleshy and multi-dimensional, even only a fifth of the way through the way of the book. The language and style the author uses are delightful and at times truly heartwrenching. This is the story of Kvothe, a mysterious man with a wealth of power, as he tells it to a Chronicler who wanders into Kvothe, disguised as an innkeeper. It really is intriguing so far, and I highly recommend it. More to come when I finish it!!

Also, I'm gonna try and do two posts today for the Pagan Blog Project, both 'B' topics. They should be good. It will be awesome. And then I'll be all caught up for Friday, to start on the 'C' topics!

Peace,

<3 Sapphirescent <3

Successfulness... so far, mostly.

OK, so I'm kind of stealing a little something from 2011. During Christmas break, Tim and I went to  hang with his family, and we ended up going to the beach for a few hours with our friends Missy and Dani. It was awesome. There wasn't snow on the beach like there was last time we were there, but it was still fun walking along the waves and chilling in the sand. (With shoes on. Except Dani, she had her shoes off because she's awesome like that.)


**Picture(s) to come shortly!!**

But meanwhile, since I've been a douche and not updated at all, let's take a look at how I've been doing:
--Weekly goals: Two photographs, one book, putting money into savings, and meditating.
So... I've been kind of doing ok. I've been meditating (I missed the first week though) particularly since I apparently have high blood pressure and meditation can help bring that down. Even if it's only a five minute session (like today) or if it's up to a 35 minute session (like last week) or longer, I consider this a success.
Photography wise, I've been blowing, and here's why: my camera is (somewhat) busted. It simply will not grab a charge from batteries. Boo Hiss. So I call exemption on this one for now. At least until I can get it working or have the money to buy film for my 35mm.
Books, I've been doing ok. I'll probably have to kick it down from 52 in a year to maybe 26 in a year. I finished up A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin, the 4th book, and plotting a way to get my hands on the 5th (buy or library? Hmmmm...) and I've read part of the Buddhist Handbook by John Snelling.
Savings... I don't wanna talk about it. Haha.


--Monthly Goals: 1 Watercolour, Hike, Loans paid on time, Walk in the Park, Book Swap, Karaoke.
I did a watercolour. It's pretty. (Picture soon.)
*Technically* we went on a "hike" or at least that's what I'm calling it, since we went to 4qf for the January New Moon service and romped around in the snow a bit, so we're gonna say that counts!
I paid all of my loans on time, and I've been taking walks in the park and thru University City on my lunch periods, so that's good.
I did not sing karaoke or trade anything on PBS, mostly because I am kinda broke. Maybe once I have more money, I'll make these up in another month sometime.

As far as long term goals, we've been doing mostly well at Primal eating! A few slip ups here and there, but that was only on (2) weekends and I'm down by a belt hole! I might have to buy a new belt. I think the coolest part is learning how to reward myself with meat instead of with sugar. It's kind of a tough transition, but seriously, biting into a chunk of excellent juicy flesh is a damn good reward. Sugar and flour and grains/carbs in general (exception: veggies and fruits! <3) tend to make me feel like shit nowadays.

Speaking of Paleo, Tim made some AMAZING MEATZA a la Marks Daily Apple last night when our buddy Jon came up. (Pictures coming soon too!) Basically, you just take some ground beef, press it into a parchment-lined cookie sheet, bake it at 450º for 10-15 minutes, add toppings, and broil another 7-10 minutes. Tim loaded the thing with mozzarella cheese, sliced garlic, and sliced grape tomatoes. Ho. Ly. Crap. It was amazing. Mark Sisson is the man for this recipe, although I still have yet to try it with the toppings he recommends. Tim doesn't like olives. Boo hiss.

Anyway. I also have decided I want to start incorporating posts for the Pagan Blog Project! So, starting with another post later today, I will catch up with the A and B weeks and start updating weekly for that, as well as attempting to stay more updated for the actual 2012 list.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
<3 Sapphirescent <3 (I need a cool logo signature thingy. Full of bling, and sexiness. I will get on this. Oh, and I'm also hunting down a good template too. Keep in touch.)

Live Each Day As If You'll Die Tomorrow, and other cliche BS

The world is not going to end in 2012. Of this, I am pretty confident, kinda like back in 1844 when I told William Miller on October 21st that he was full of shit just like March of the previous year, and guess what!

Really, the point of living isn't to sit around, nervously biting our nails against the day that we're going to be deprived of the life that you're not even using if you're sitting around.

And so, I decided to do something about it. And leave my poor nails alone. Thus, I present to you,

My Magical, Whimsical To-Do List for 2012

(Conveniently separated into categories for your viewing ease)

Adrenaline/Adventure

1. Go zip-lining - http://www.skiroundtop.com/summerrates.htm

2. Go kayaking, canoeing, or sailing

3. Go snow-tubing

4. Ride all the roller coasters at Cedar Point

5. Bungee-jump

6. Ski

7. Go ghost hunting

8. Horseback Ride

Artsy Craftsy

9. Make my own Tibetan-style prayer flags, and a fabric flags for camp

10. Take 100 photographs

11. Make more collages, maybe one every two months

12. Watercolour two paintings a month

13. Mix at least 4 new perfumes

14. Hand-make gifts for people

15. Make a stone pile sculpture

16. Make Candles

17. Build cool stuff in the snow

Body

18. Lose and maintain down to 125-135

19. Go Primal

20. Get my first tattoo

Financial

21. Pay all my loans on time, like 2011

22. Have a $1000 savings account by Dec ‘12

23. Start a Roth IRA

Food

24. Explore a different culture each month through food

25. Go completely carnivore for two weeks as a test run

26. Make four cupcake recipes from Michelle Garcia’s and/or Lili Vanilli’s book

27. Make artisan bread

28. Pick Fruit

29. Make and can strawberry raspberry jam

30. Flip a pancake in the air (without making a mess)

31. Eat kangaroo meat

32. Make a layer cake

33. Make homemade hot chocolate when it snows

34. Make homemade hummus

35. Make homemade cinnamon buns for Imbolgc

36. Go salt water fishing (since Tim says it’s easy) and catch dinner

37. Make Sushi

38. Brew beer with Tim

39. Organize a recipe collection (with software? Check out http://www.dvo.com/ )

Learning

40. Apply to start for a Masters 2013-2014

41. Take or self-learn French, Dutch, or continue Italian

42. Take free courses: http://lifehacker.com/201979/technophilia-get-a-free-college-education-online

43. Take any other free classes I can find, in person or online

44. 18. Take more Belly Dance classes

45. Learn all the countries of the world and their capitals

46. Take a pole-dancing class

47. Take Yoga classes

48. Take an archery class -- http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/education/9110

49. Learn astronomy

Literary 

50. Keep a blog

51. Read 52 books

52. Keep a small ideas journal with me, for ideas for stories, paintings, etc

53. Utilize the library without forgetting to return the books

54. Read textbooks for classes I never took to see if I’d be interested in learning more

55. Make a penpal

56. Trade 52 books on Paperback Swap

57. Write three short stories

58. Write a trashy romance novel for Sherie

59.  Answer the 50 Questions to Free Your Mind: http://www.marcandangel.com/2009/07/13/50-questions-that-will-free-your-mind/

Luxuriate
60. Sleep in til 11am

61. Go to the spa for a day

62. Make my own spa treatments

63. Expand my wardrobe by 40% (lawlz statistics) and a pair of cowboy boots (shopping at awesome thrift stores!!)

Music

64. Go to a concert

65. Sing karaoke once a month

66. Go to the opera

67. Write a song

Nature

68. Grow roses

69. Hike at least once a month

70. Feed ducks (somewhere where it’s legal)

71. Skinny dip in Sideling Creek at midnight

72. Lay on a hill at night and stargaze

73. Plant a tree

74. Walk in the park 2 weekends a month

75. Participate in earth hour

76. Go to the beach in each season

Socially

77. Go out on a high-class date with Tim, tux, dress, and all

78. Find a good situation in which to say, “We’ll always have Paris.”

79. Shop locally as much possible (farmers markets, small stores/cafes, thrift stores)

80. Hold a swanky potluck picnic in the park

81. Attend awesome festivals all year long!

82. Support an artist by buying their work

83. Volunteer! Walk dogs, etc. Maybe at least once a month?

84. Send birthday cards and Christmas/Yule cards

85. People-watch

Spiritual

86. Lay tribute to my stone in the stone circle

87. Attend as many events as possible at Four Quarters

88. Write a moon ceremony

89. Start Meditating Weekly

90. Observe other religions’ holidays, and maybe a service or two

91. Attend a retreat

92. Meditate with the Buddhists

93. Find my chakras

Travel

94. Visit LA (for Jenni’s Graduation)

95. Take a bus trip to Toronto on MegaBus for $1 each way

96. Couchsurf

97. Go to NYC for a day or weekend

98. Visit the National Mall in DC

99. Go to an aquarium

100. Go to a zoo

It's gonna be big. It's gonna be crazy. It's gonna be an adventure. So... read my blog, kids.

Peace,
Sapphirescent