Doing my part to save our nation

[trystinn]

I made Josh one of my super deluxe four pan dinners, which turned out sort of "meh" but that's another story. During dinner, we went over our ballots and discussed the various initiatives. Decisions were made, votes were cast and now I've two envelopes to hand deliver to the USPS tomorrow.

Aurora, the lovebird, has learned yet another trick. While filling up a large boiler to make penne pasta she flew over, perched on the rim then jumped in for a swim. Apparently, she's not content with the small bathing bowl on her cage!

Sadly, we arrived too late to the bus station and so missed Alfrecht. Wandered about town, with a side trip to the baking shop (nope, he wasn't in there: I was *most* thorough) just in case we could find him. I think we ran into just about every 2nd Jew though, in our wanderings downtown. There's something about a man all decked out in MC gear that seems to draw attention. Speaking of which, the sissy bar and back cushion are now installed on the bike.

One of the mini-rex girl buns has an eye infection, so we'll be taking them to the vet on Friday. Sort of a double duty trip to pick up Flash from his teeth cleaning and get Noir eye drops. Because she's housed with Nyx, we're bringing her in, too. All healing energies for bunny vision welcome!

Comments

[alfrecht.livejournal.com]

Aargh!

When I got to the bus station around 3, I went over to the bathroom, and then stood around for a few moments, decided I'd walk around downtown until a song on my iPod ended, went through all of downtown and still had a minute or two on the song left (it used to be so much bigger!), and then went into Old Town Mall, and decided to pop in on Gloria Carothers in The Jewelry Gallery for a few minutes...where I was until my dad tore me away a little after 4! I had forgotten how talkative she can be! Alas...

Anyway, sorry to miss you! It would have been lovely to have seen you today! :(

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Ack! I didn't think to look for you in the Old Towne Mall and I should have, seeing as we both adore Gloria. I so miss working with her.

The town is shrinking as we lose businesses.

What's the next Shinto event?

[alfrecht.livejournal.com]

Ack! Again, sorry...I have not seen Gloria in years, so thought I'd stop in...

Do you have my cell phone number? Let me know if not, and I'll get it to you for future reference, as I had it with me all the time...

As far as Shinto things go--there's the Shinto seminar coming up the weekend after this one (Oct. 25-26, but there may be something on the night of the 24th), which costs like $70, and as there's lots going on for us then (like my reading at Edge of the Circle on the 24th), we won't be attending that. Then the next official thing on the calendar is a children's blessing festival on Nov. 16, but we probably won't be doing that either, as I have no children to bless, and it costs $35. However, we will probably do misogi sometime in November, which will be cold, but fun, so you can join us for that if you wish (and are out of your mind!).

Then after that, the end of year purification ceremony is Dec. 14, which we'll certainly do; and then the New Year ceremonies are from the 1st to the 3rd of Jan., but we'll be at the very first one just after midnight, like last year--nothing like a Shinto ceremony, standing on the shrine grounds in the dark and cold with loads of other people around a little fire drinking hot barley tea! Then there's more after that, on Jan. 18th (the fire purification day, where all the amulets/etc. from last year are burned) and Feb. 1 (the start of spring and "soybean throwing at oni for purification" festival), both of which are a lot of fun! (Didn't get to the soybean one last year, unfortunately...Nick didn't really want to go, and erynn999 and I were rather tired, so we didn't go...and regretted it, and still do...)

Speaking of which, I need to get a Shinto icon...

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

I'd love to undergo the seminar - wonder what the particulars are, lunch, etc.

I've been wanting to undergo Misogi, I'm flying to Florida on the 13th of November and back the following week. So if the scheduling works out, I'm game.

I've been reading up on Shinto legends and kamis. I'm up to about a dozen books now and still looking for more. I've cleared an area in the house for Shinto work and want to walk the walk for awhile before committing to something as involved as a spirit house.

I'll see if I can get off work for the purification, sounds interesting. New Years would be great, count us in (Josh dependent on his Navy schedule).

[alfrecht.livejournal.com]

Very good!

It takes some serious commitment, and a penchant for cleanliness, to be able to have a kamidana of one's own, and I'm just not at that level of tidiness yet. Alas.

The Shinto seminar certainly has dinner on Saturday included, I'm not sure about lunches on Sat. and Sun. though. There should be some info on the website, and in the Yahoo group (are you on that?). In any case, I really want to do that as well at some stage, and in fact Sensei was asking me if we wanted to do this one, but I told him we're too busy. They have them about three times a year, though--in March, July (I think), and then this fall one in October. So, there will be other times to do it. Misogi is always done on the Sunday morning in that as well--it would be interesting to do it with like 20 people!

I'll let you know when we schedule the misogi in Nov. As a first-timer at that time of year, you'll certainly learn very quickly if you'd be up to doing it again!

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Yep, I'm checking the site and I'm on the yahoogroup.

Ugh, another Sunday? Hmn... may not be doable in November as I'm already taking off a Sunday for the FL trip.

[alfrecht.livejournal.com]

Yes--alas, most of the major ceremonies are on Sundays, unfortunately. The only one that isn't, I think, is actual New Year's Day (unless, of course, it happens to fall on a Sunday). Anyway, do what you can...