BrainStream: Did I mention that I

Did I mention that I became an Uncle this week? No, my brother did not get another cat. My brother-in-law and his wife had a baby boy Wednesday night names Christopher. I'm very happy for them primarily because the miracle of birth is a wonderful thing and also for the fact that it takes the pressure of Kirky and I for a couple more months. ;)

I'm taking a beak to do some writing here after wrapping up a leisurely but tiring week. I just finished doing a massive news update to The Leaky Cauldron and am progressing quite well on my database for Artemisia Botanicals. Last weekend while planting the herbs in our herb garden we let the cats out (on purpose) so they could get a taste of freedom. Since we're getting a puppy at the end of next month who we're going to put a doggy-door into the backyard for, there's no way the cats will be strictly "indoor" anymore. However, we learned that teasing them with an hour of outdoor heaven was a mistake - especially long before we were ready to make it permanent. The whole next week I got pitiful meows every time I opened a window in the back of the house or even looked out doors. You get to know your cat's meow's after a while. You know when they're out of food, you know when one of them wants you to come and turn on the faucet in the bath tub for them to drink (don't ask) and this one was definitely of the "I don't love you anymore, you're not my parents" meow. It hurt.

So Wednesday, we somehow left the front door open and the screen had slowly been ripping more and more. Sure enough an hour or two later we went searching for Nessa, nowhere to be found. I was very tempted to freak out again like the last time this happened but my last class with Teri was that night and I would be participating in my first rital.

Speaking of which, my first ritual and "casting" my first spell was an amazingly powerful experience. I should have written down everything that happened and what Teri said for future reference but because I am working on her Web site we're talking about negotiating with more teaching so I can always ask her. We turned off the lights in her store and light 4 candles at each of the compass points at the edge of the circle representing the elements as well as God and Goddess candles. Teri purified the tools and participants with oil, cast a circle and did her spell which was basically asking the God and Goddess to be patient with us and help us on our path as we were new to it...but to not hesitate to give us a kick in the pants if necessary (my words). The other students went ahead and lit their intention candles, cast their spells, and burned their spells using those intention candles, placing the parchment into a cauldron when it couldn't be held anymore.

My spell, (handwritten on parchment which will be a shock to those who know me well), was a "new job" spell that I had written myself. I was incredibly anal in the editing because I wanted to make sure I was VERY specific and I have been taught that rhyming gives it more power. (Though I think that's from the school of "the more you put into it the more powerful it is). I had heard many stories about how spells could go awry - someone asking for more money, for instance...and their parents died leaving them an inheritance. Not good. I even had the equivalent of a disclaimer just to make sure.

Before I cast my spell, I invoked the Goddess Athena (wisdom, knowledge) and God Zeus (business, prosperity, wealth, success) by lighting a green and purple candle respectively and asked them to be there with me as I cast my spell. Then I read my spell and as I did, I could feel the power surge in my body as I asked Zeus and Athena to give me the wisdom to find and choose a job that would meet my needs as well as make me successful and prosperous. Then I lit the parchment the spell was written on with the two candles and held it in my hand as it burned. I placed it in a small, black cauldron on he altar when I could hold it no more and as the flames burned out, I lifted my hands into the air as I "released" the power that had built up and surged inside of me sending it into the cosmos to carry out the spell. Like I said - a VERY powerful experience.

After our spells were cast, we performed the great rite and left an offering of food and drink (tea bread and spring water) to the God and Goddess before releasing the elements and opening the circle.

That was the end of 6 weeks of class but only the beginning of my spiritual journey. A few of us in the class talked about starting a study group to learn more and discuss a lot of our beliefs. Teri said she'd participate every so often which is great. I have a feeling after participating in a full ritual that simple spells such as sending out healing energy to someone who's ill or hurt will become easier. We shall see.

So I got home that night and even though I received a call in class that my nephew was born the first thing I asked was if the kitten had come back. No such luck and I of course apologized to Kirky for not asking about Christopher first. We left the basement window and back door open so Nessa could find her way in. I couldn't sleep.

I spent a few minutes looking out the window and sure enough Nessa skipped into view in the back yard and went to play with something under our lilac bush. Looked like a mouse or mole which she proceeded to bat around and make squeak for the next hour. Kirky finally got up frustrated, stomped down stairs and outside to pick up kitten and bring her in. Turned out it was a baby bird that had fallen out of the nest. I was HORRIFIED that I hadn't gone down sooner. Then again, I should have even if it were a mouse. The next morning, the bird was gone. We were desperately hoping (rather delusionally) that it made it's way back to the nest.

Friday we went to a fabulous wedding of friends of Kirky's. Actually they're friends of "ours" as they just live up the street. Kirky has spent a lot of time with the wife as she was introduced by her friend and co-worker to her. I only met her at one of the tupperware parties Kirky hosted albeit briefly. Anyway, the wedding was at a beautiful historic property deep in the woods in Danvers (or as deep as you can get) and was gorgeous. It was the first wedding we had been to since our own and was a nice change to sitting at home.

Last night we had Kirky's cousin over for a dinner of chicken cutlets, salad, and a baked potato bar with angel food cake for dessert garnished with strawberries, blueberries and vanilla ice cream. Speaking of fruit, I've taken to loading up on fruit recently at Stop & Shop, our local supergrocery. As people working at home know, snacking is a horrible by-product. I figure fruit is going to be a hell of a lot healthier to binge on then wheat thins, peanut butter cups and hot pockets. *shiver* So I have created a nice inventory of pears, peaches, apricots, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and grapes. Yum.

Anyway, Kirky's cousin is about to move to Oregon in a couple of weeks and we're really going to miss them. I figured it was going to be a quick goodbye dinner but we all ended up talking until midnight and were incredibly and pleasantly surprised at the breadth of the conversation. They really are a wonderful couple very much in-line with our realm of thinking.

This afternoon we took the cats over to Petco to get their shots. I was amazed - they each had three needles stuck into them quickly in rapid succession. Not a flinch. I would have had my wife next to me so I could grip (read: rip off) her hand as the first needles penetrated. I'm a big wimp.

So we were saved from meows of "I hate you" for not letting them go outside (the medication made them sleepy) we started our plan to preparing them for the outdoors. We talked flee & tick collars and purchases heartworm pills alongside new collars that would have their info on them. I need to look into a place that will NOT put them to sleep for the microchipping process because Chelsie is too old for it and might not come out of it. We've started feeding them with a bell at 9pm - that way when they go outside they will always know 9pm (and/or the bell) means food.

My job hunt is going "OK". Suits me right for thinking I had two "definite" jobs to fall back on as I began my search. One is running into internal problems right now and is on hold and the other guy has not gotten back to me since we first talked before his wife had a baby. So I sent my resume into MIT for a Network Security Analyst position. I figure I have the experience now I need to jump right in and test my skills in the realm of computer security. I have another potential job in that field but will most likely have to redo my resume for Web standards jobs since the others didn't come through. Pah. Live goes on and I will find a job.

More soon.

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