Living and Working with Spirits

I’ve been down with the remnants of that stomach thing and generally feeling like crap; it may have been a bug, I’m not sure. But I slept a lot in the last two days (a LOT) and I feel better. I’ve got a great deal of work to catch up on.

Rending the Veil is moving to a new server and is undergoing an overhaul as we prepare for the move. We have a new Assistant Webmaster, Jared, who is aiding us in this while Matt takes some time off. A new content management system, new tabbed layout, new blogging system and more when we premiere at the new location. (Web address will not be changing.) More on this as we get closer to the grand opening.

It’s the beginning of the month and I’ve got my Social Security in, so I’ll be taking care of mundane stuff like buying toilet paper. Woo. I’ll be around. You folks have a nice (American) holiday weekend.

Today in History

On June 25, 1876, Lt. Col. George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry were wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana. (source: The New York Times)

I remember that. In the only past life regression I ever had of which I was able to validate historical facts and accuracies, I was Cheyenne. Long story, and very personal. I might get around to telling it someday. I also may never tell it, as it’s one thing that means so much to me that to have it come under debate might actually hurt my feelings. It’s also the only regression I ever had after which I continued to have memories resurface at random times once it was over. To this day.

Warning: TMI of the Gastrointestinal Variety

In the “unrelated” portion of this post, I’ve been violently ill for the past 24 hours. I have developed food sensitivities for unknown reasons in recent years, and Monday I was having problems related to that. Then yesterday I ate something that really made me sick. I started out with sharp pains to the area of my abdomen that I associate with my Crohn’s disease, which wrapped around my back as per normal. It got progressively worse, and then along came some very un-nifty waves of extreme nausea to go with it. TMI: For years now, no matter how sick I get, I can’t throw up without sticking my finger down my throat. Even then, it won’t work unless I’m really, really sick. But last night, I revisited the days of wracking spasms, dry heaves, and the fervent wish for death that accompany them. I was sweating buckets, literally dripping with sweat during the waves of nausea, then between them I’d shiver and freeze. I was disoriented and I even feared for my safety due to the level of disorientation, but the fear was sort of distant and uninvolved. Once that passed, I emptied my system via projectile diarrhea. Oh joy. But finally, around 8:30 this morning, I was able to sleep.

I still feel lousy and still have the sharp Crohn’s style pains, so I haven’t eaten anything today. I might indulge in some chicken broth later, perhaps a cracker or two if I’m feeling brave. But I think it’s safe to consider me out of the running for at least the remainder of today.

Adjust your requirements for my time accordingly.

A lot of bloggers use day-of-the-week topics, such as “Sunday Scribbles,” “Thankful Thursday,” and so forth. I don’t think I am very good at keeping up such a routine, but if it happens, I don’t mind using the label. So here’s a survey meme I ran into this morning while EntreCard hopping. I thought it was interesting.

On the outside

Name: Sheta
Birthday: 29 March
Current Status: Involved with a dead guy – very long term
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Currently, “dark mahogany brown.” Naturally: light to medium brown with sun-streaked highlights in summer.

On the inside

My Fear: Dark water. Bugs crawling on me in my bed.
My Weaknesses: I give away too much. (Deliberately ambiguous, there.)
My Perfect Pizza: Giovanni’s Pizza in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow

My thoughts on first waking up: “I need to pee. NOW.”
My bedtime: It varies wildly. Could be 8 a.m., 8 p.m. or 3 in the afternoon, depending on what sleep issues I may be experiencing.
My most missed memory: I think my memory paints some things better and some things worse than they actually were, but that said, I think I miss most the things that I took for granted – days at the pool (it’s gone now), lunches at the Hamburger Inn, friends I thought were forever, places I may never see again, and the extended family gatherings that my daughter has never seen.

Your picks

Pepsi or Coke: Pepsi
Single or group dates: Dates? You mean the fruit?
Adidas or Nike: Payless. LOL Actually, my favorite sneakers are made by Union Bay.
Tea or Nestea: Oh please. Nestea is revolting. Brew your own.
Chocolate or Vanilla: Alone, chocolate. With pie or cake, vanilla.
Cappuccino or Coffee: Latte – Mocha with hazelnut. Meridjet calls it “candy in a cup” but I can’t abide coffee under most circumstances.

Do you

Smoke: No
Curse: “When you go into a bar, ten minutes later sailors come running out. What’s up with that?” Samuel L. Jackson in The Long Kiss Goodnight
Take a shower: Of course
Have a crush: Eh. Sometimes.
Think you’ve been in love: Yes, muchly.
Go to school: No
Want to get married: To a man? Not particularly.
Believe in yourself: Yes, with caveats.
Think you’re a health freak: No.

In the past

Smoked: Yeah, for 25 years, from age 13 to 38. I quit all at once, too. I got mad.
Gone to the mall: Uh, yeah, once or twice.
Been on stage: Yes
Eaten sushi: Yes, it’s disgusting.
Dyed your hair: Yes

Have you ever

Played a stripping game: Believe it or not, no
Changed who you were to fit in: In junior high. Since then, no.
Done something your kids will never know about (at least till they are adults): Sure, but I am very open with her about most things. Details about my sex life don’t need to be known.

Age you’re hoping to

Get married: What does this have to do with age?
Take your dream vacation: ASAP?

In a guy

Best eye color: He says they’re gray; I say they change and are often green. A muddy green.
Best hair color: Dark
Short hair or long hair: Depends on the guy. I like both, but long, LONG hair is no longer my thing.
Best attribute: Dedication to the relationship, which would encompass everything from tolerance and understanding to communication and openness.

What were you doing

A minute ago Talking to the birds
An hour ago Brushing my teeth
A month ago No idea
A year ago Getting home from work.

Finish the sentences

I love: Meridjet, family, life
I feel: sort of blank, right now
I hate: deception
I hide: nothing, and I need to start keeping more to myself.
I miss: Meridjet, Tracey, more carefree times.
I need: to get organized, seriously, in a solid way.

George Carlin has passed into the Great Beyond, where I’m sure he arrived with a glint in his eye, ready to take inventory of the pleasures and irritations of a new level of reality. For my part, I’m very sorry to see him go, as he was a voice I could relate to.

During a career that spanned five decades, he emerged as one of the most durable, productive and versatile comedians of his era. He evolved from Jerry Seinfeld-like whimsy and a buttoned-down decorum in the ’60s to counterculture icon in the ’70s. By the ’80s, he was known as a scathing social critic who could artfully wring laughs from a list of oxymorons that ranged from “jumbo shrimp” to “military intelligence.” And in the 1990s and into the 21st century the balding but still pony-tailed comic prowled the stage — eyes ablaze and bristling with intensity — as the circuit’s most splenetic curmudgeon.

…Despite the longevity of his career and his problematic personal life, Mr. Carlin remained one of the most original and productive comedians in show business. “It’s his lifelong affection for language and passion for truth that continue to fuel his performances,” a critic observed of the comedian when he was in his mid-60s. And Chris Albrecht, an HBO executive, said, “He is as prolific a comedian as I have witnessed.”

Mr. Carlin is survived by his wife, Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; son-in-law, Bob McCall, brother, Patrick Carlin and sister-in-law, Marlene Carlin. His first wife, Brenda Hosbrook, died in 1997.

Although some criticized parts of his later work as too contentious, Mr. Carlin defended the material, insisting that his comedy had always been driven by an intolerance for the shortcomings of humanity and society. “Scratch any cynic,” he said, “and you’ll find a disappointed idealist.”

Still, when pushed to explain the pessimism and overt spleen that had crept into his act, he quickly reaffirmed the zeal that inspired his lists of complaints and grievances. “I don’t have pet peeves,” he said, correcting the interviewer. And with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he added, “I have major, psychotic hatreds.”

— The New York Times

My friend Caliedo is featured in the upcoming (this weekend) issue of Rending the Veil, with an article on Nontheistic Energy Work (part 2). This quote rocks my socks:

It is … imperative to understand that while one might be limited in the ability to perceive or understand the universe, that limitation does not restrict the universe to what is perceptible or understandable. Beyond the human constraints of consensus reality lies actuality. It is in actuality that all things become possible, although, as in reality, some things remain more probable than others.