tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15036068211318679282024-02-19T03:38:47.995-06:00The Acts of DodolaWhen Dodola sits before her heavenly cows, who are the great black and rolling clouds, it rains here on earth.
In the spring, Dodola is said to fly over the land and leave in her wake a sea of vernal greenery, and every flower and blossom will open to just to see her shining face.MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-29343344098036388892014-02-05T19:28:00.002-06:002014-02-05T19:30:32.351-06:00Bleeding Love: LGBT Adversity Near and Far<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm pissed off.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Correction: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
fucking pissed off. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As many of you are aware the Russian government is severely
anti-LGBT. This has led to protests and riots throughout the country. In the
course of such protests many LGBT people and allies have suffered physical and
mental harm. This is a human rights issue and has reached audiences around the
world. I know no country/nation-state is perfect in any regards but it sickens
me to think an event such as The Olympics (which is meant to bring the
countries of the world together) is being held in a place that is actively participating
in the destruction of my LGBT brothers and sisters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Recently Human Rights Watch has released a video
(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMTbFSJ_Tr4" target="_blank">watch with caution please</a>) that showcases many acts of violence which have
happened in recent months in Russia to LGBT people. In it we are shown homosexual
men who have been abducted, humiliation, tortured, raped, and (presumably) murdered.
These acts were recorded by the perpetrators and posted on sites such as
YouTube. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I hurts me deeply to watch this video where my brothers
were treated with such disrespect and subjected to acts of violence such as,
but not limited to: verbal assaults, abduction, humiliation via stripping and cohesion,
and in one case, forced to rape himself with a glass bottle. The images were unforgettable,
disturbing and distressing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am thankful I have the privilege of living in a
country where being a homosexual does not lead to such treatment. Or does it…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even as of a few days ago a student at Centennial
High School in Circle Pines, Minnesota came out as gay on Facebook. The next
day he received several death threats. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What
the fuck is wrong with people.</b> Sure, in the USA we can come out of the
closest and have bars and pride-parades and get married and have kids and lead
normal lives but to receive death threats is inexcusable. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am of two minds and they are equal. Part of me
wants to find all people who commit acts of violence, physical or otherwise, a
give to them what they have dished out. What kind of mind sends death threats?
What kind of person forces someone to rape themselves with a glass bottle? Who
is the god-damned coward to send anonymous messages of hate via social networking
sites? It’s not just YouTubers or celebrities who are being threated. It’s kids
in high-school who have Tumblrs, as in a friend of mine who started receiving
hate mail when her Tumblr was getting popular… and she’s just a teen-age woman
(and yet that too is other issue). </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Why do people send hate mail? Do they believe it
will change anything? Death threats are a form of domestic terrorism and is a
punishable, in certain cases, as in the one mentioned above, as a hate crime.
Why do we do this to each other? I just don’t understand the reasoning behind
it. This upsets me and makes me angry to the point of wanting to harm those who
harm others. I’m simply being honest here.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And that’s where the other side of me steps in. We
can’t fight fire with fire. Violence only begets more violence. I can only affect
those around me by being kind and loving and accepting of others. And yet I cannot
be accepting of a lifestyle that berates and degrades others. I cannot support
an ideology that sees others as sinful for loving who they love, who express their
gender in whatever fashion they see fits them. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How do I show love to the person who wishes I kill
myself? <br />
How do I show compassion towards those who want nothing but my suffering? <br />
What do I do with anger inside of me that wants to be unleashed in very harmful
and destructive ways?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How do I heal hearts (the ones that are broken and
the ones that do the breaking). </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My own heart goes out to everyone who has faced
adversity. My soul has cried last night for my brothers and sisters all over
the world who <b>stare death in the face every day</b>… simply by being who they are,
loving who they do, grasping at empowerment/self-expression/self-actualization.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>My body wants to react, to protect, to
exact vengeance in the name of the slain. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How do I honor these opposing and powerful desires
for vengeance and peace? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ultimately all I feel I can do right now is draw
attention to the problem and illuminate (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">to
bare light upon)</i> the situation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pray for those in need. Support your children, your
friends and family, your coworkers by accepting them and loving them and asking
them how they are feeling? Tell them you love them. Tell them it will get better.
Show to those still in the closet the world isn’t full of haters and rapists
and cowards. My smallest wish there was that was more I could do to stop these atrocities. </span></div>
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-50707504399167232202013-09-27T13:06:00.000-05:002013-09-27T13:12:43.582-05:00Hello AgainI know it has been many months since I've posted on here but life has been expectantly busy and I have not found time, nor made time, to write fiction or blog posts. So why am I writing today. Long story short, a tutoring student of mine came up to me yesterday and asked if I would be interested in reading the story he wrote over the summer. I haven't read it yet but I promised I would give him some feedback by Tuesday. <br />
<br />
It was honoring and humbling to be asked to look at his work. He could be the next writer big writer and I could say "I knew him when". I am playing a part in his life as a teacher and a writer and he is teaching me in ways I don't even know yet.<br />
<br />
This sparked some inspiration within me and in the time time between reading the 3rd Act of Hamlet and having class in the afternoon I decided I would work on the short story I finished but had not yet edited way back in July. I'm still working my way through the 3000 words of it but really liked some of what I had written. For those who have never read any of my works I would like to give you the opportunity to read the following paragraph.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">"She has
made a list of liquors and their subsequent consumers. For thieves she serves a
finger worth of thin orange scented whiskey. For runaways, stowaways, and the
abandoned it is vodka spiced with cloves and catnip. Adulterers receive tannic
wine to stain there sin-soaked lips purple as the kings crowns. To pimps
she gives a dry gin that tastes of pine and cardamom and something like liquorish
rolled in rosewater. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Malaria will not
suffer the likes of murderers in her establishment but the hospitality-tradition
decrees she is to serve all those who can pay. Therefore, those who have taken
a life are poured a glass of her special distillation. Beneath the ritually
clean counter is a crystalline vat and into it she has placed datura seeds and
aconite leaves, mandrake roots and hemlock stocks, oily keys made of mercury and
moonstones, and henbane flowers and nightshade berries black as the streets of
Tantrum. These and other organic terrors are covered in a grain alcohol and stirred
daily. Down into their hollow eyes Malaria glares and strains out a portion of
the glowing green liquid; it shines in the din and the dust of her bar bright
as life itself. She is an executioner; unveiled and unafraid of judgment
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before long these killers of
children and wives and the unfortunate bystander keel over; the bitter liquid
burning through them like a knife, like a bullet, like a harp string
oscillating its final mournful note. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">"</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Yes it is long and rambling but I hope you found the imagery pleasant. If inspiration still moves within me after class I will go through and edit again and hopefully send it out to a beta-reader today!*</span></span></div>
<br />
Also I recorded this paragraph and will up-load it to sound-cloud for your listening pleasure.. I've had experience with soundcloud before and sometimes I get it work and sometimes I can not! Hopefully this time it will all run smoothly. Keep an eye out for this and other recordings.**<br />
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*If you would like to be a beta-reader of mine. Please send me an e-mail to cjgrabuski@gmail.com and I can tell you what I'm looking for in beta-reader. <br />
** If you have a specific story of mine you would like narrated let me know and I'll record and post it as well. MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-29759544330609205892013-04-21T19:28:00.000-05:002013-09-06T12:04:13.355-05:00Radical: A Returning to the RootWhenever a tragic event transpires because of an individual’s actions such as the recent Boston Marathon bombing or the terrorist attracts of September 11th 2001 or even a protest held by the Westboro Baptist Church, we tend to talk of these people/groups as radical. We also label them as extremists. Which one is it? Are all radicals extremists as well? Now these two words are different and yet we use them as if they were interchangeable and I’m not too certain they can be used so fluidly. I want to examine these words and use them in right and appropriate ways.* <br />
<br />
The word radical comes from the Latin <i>radix</i> meaning root. This means that when something is radical it is relating to the root or base. Roots are important. They dig deep, the spread into the dark and find things which have been lost. They discover new areas. They also provide nourishment to the rest of the plant.<br />
<br />
I have studied many so-called radical groups as a part of my undergrad education. Generally radical groups, or more commonly known as separatist groups, split off from the main-stream because they feel a calling to go deeper (notice I didn’t use extreme though I grammatically could have). Political radicals can be seen all over the spectrum. When Charlotte Bunch and other separatist feminist of the early 1970’s started The Furies Collective, they went in search of political refuge, acceptance, the idea of woman, what it means to be a lesbian just to name a few. They dug deep into the ideas of what it meant to be a woman, where the political process of America was headed, and how to change the culture around them. Marilyn Frye, theorist and lesbian feminist philosopher, says that “A separatist practices separation consciously, systematically, and probably more generally than the others, and advocates thorough and “broadspectrum” separation as part of the conscious strategy of liberation”. In short, she sees a separatist, and I would correlate this with a radical practice, as the willful exorcise of oneself from a community in order to liberate, or free, the self. (Frye) They needed to separate themselves from the over-culture in order to really get into the heart of their experiences as women, as lesbians, and as members of democratic society.<br />
<br />
When religious groups becomes radical they are often seeking a more interpersonal experience with the divine as their tradition sees it. This looks different depending on the religion, the tradition, and the power structure of that group. Radical Christians dive deep into the social well-being of their community bolstered by the exemplary life of Jesus. (Fisher 219) Nuns, monks, and hermits of all the worlds’ traditions are radical in that they want to feel their idea of the divine so much that the outside world must be left behind. In terms spiritual anatomy the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Chakras slow down so the heart (4th), mind (5th), and crown (6th an 7th) may be fully open to the experience/imminence of the divine.(Myss) Siddhartha (Buddha) sat under a tree, Jesus went to the garden, Muhammad went to the mountain, Inanna left heaven and earth and went into the underworld where everything she had was taken from her.<br />
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And here is the other half of what it means to be a Radical. They must bring back what they learned and experienced to the community. I don’t know if it is the radical’s journey to stay radical forever or if there is a katabatic (to descend and return) cycle. Roots bring nutrition to the rest of the plant; same can be said for a radical person. Once the knowledge, experience, wisdom is found, it is the job of the Radical inform the community. Now wither or not the person with whom the Radical is in contact with is receptive of their message is not the point. The point is there is new wisdom to disperse. There are truths to be absorbed. The wisdom gets transported into the world and watered-down and altered which can disappoint/infuriate a radical. Thus, when faced with difficult and trying times, we humans and turn towards violent and iritic behaviors. I believe that is not the job of anyone, especially a radical, to use violent or corrosive force to disseminate their message. Not only does this give the whole community of which the radical is a part of a bad name but it negatively impacts the community in which we all live.<br />
<br />
I hope I have opened your eyes to the idea that we use the label of radical far too often to describe people who act soul in destructive ways. I would say the amount of radicals who commit the hanus acts we hear about in the news is significantly less than we think. After examining the word radical and the whole would actually portray its characteristic, perhaps it is extremists, those who are on the limits of their community, who are the perpetrators of these great crimes. Maybe after reading this, and examining the groups you are a part of, you will find yourself a radical. What is calling you to dig deeper? What is calling you away from the over-culture and towards a more intense study? What lessons have you learned from being so close to a topic it calls in to question everything you’ve known to be true? What called you and you responded with such a fervent yes, every shred of rationality said to go forth? What lessons have you learned there in the deep?<br />
<br />
NEXT WEEK: Extremist<br />
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*When was examine the words we are choosing to say we slow down and use a more prudent and judicious speech. This means we describe the word more accurately, view it more sharply, and are able to create stronger bonds i.e. our relationship to ourselves and to each other.
Example: How do you describe yourself? What is the narrative you are saying about yourself? What do you so casually say you hate/like/want/love and how is that constructing how you view yourself/your actions? How do you label the world (other people, places, and events) and how does that help/hinder the way in which we move forward?<br />
<br />
Bibliography<br />
<br />
Fisher, Mary Pat. "Women in Christianity." Women in Religion. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2007. 188-233. Print.<br />
<br />
Frye, Marilyn. "Some Reflections on Separatism and Power." Feminist Theory: A Reader. Ed. Wendy K. Kolmar and Frances Bartkowski. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 275-81. Print.<br />
<br />
Myss, Caroline. The Language of Archetypes: Discover the Forces That Shape Your Destiny. Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2006. Audio.
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-19415975292575815552013-03-20T19:42:00.001-05:002013-03-20T19:45:24.390-05:00Writing and the Equinox <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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So I haven’t posted
in a while and that’s because I have been less than inspired. That is not to
say I haven’t been creative. I have bread proofing in the oven as I write this.
Yesterday I made some naan bread and the day before that I made a Galette des
Rois which is this wonderful almond pastry thing. I even made the pastry myself
using a pie crust recipe. It was the best pie crust I’ve ever made. Thanks Jaclyn Weber of <a href="http://www.redgoosegardens.com/" target="_blank">Red Goose Gardens. </a></div>
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There is something inside of me right now that really wants
to create. I want to bake and garden and get back outside and start the growing
season again. I’m so happy the sun is out longer every day. I would didn’t say
I get SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) but my energy levels truly do decrease
in the winter time. Even though we’re getting these little snow storms the
sunlight and the increased temperatures do lift my spirits and I’m getting
antsy. I’m starting <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/" target="_blank">seeds</a> for tomatoes and peppers and broccoli and a bunch of
herbs really soon (I just need to find my grow light). </div>
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Even though the tender fires of creation are moving in me, I
do not have the divine spark of inspiration. I have many ideas and stories about
which to write about but when I sit down to write out my thoughts or try to
outline/construct a story nothing sounds quite right to me. Even writing this
little blog post is difficult. I’m not exactly sure how to court the muses.
When I think about the times when I’ve had really great ideas it is often time
when I’m not thinking about writing. I generally see something, like a wall of
fog or a<a href="http://www.cjgrabuski.com/published-works/tioqb/" target="_blank"> bee landing on my hand </a>a bus stop and then words begin for form in my
mind as if out of the ether. From there it’s about piggy-backing on the original
idea and drawing on things like mythology, research, or whatever else needs to
be incorporated into the work. </div>
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The piece I’m working on now was inspired by the poem <a href="http://poemsoutloud.net/audio/archive/harjo_reads_she_had_some_horses/" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">She Had Some Horses</i></a> by <a href="http://www.joyharjo.com/Home.html" target="_blank">Joy Harjo</a> and a
story my mother told me about the time when she brought home our dog Jake. I’m
having trouble finishing the story because I feel that it wants to go into crazy/bizarre
places (like Venus) nd I want to ground it in a no-less strange but definitely different territory.
I’ve still a few days before I have to send it out and I believe I will have it
done by then (wish me luck though). And for those who subscribe to <a href="http://www.cjgrabuski.com/the-lunacy-project/" target="_blank">The LunacyProject</a> I promise <a href="http://acts-of-dodola.blogspot.com/2012/11/metis-is-spared.html" target="_blank">Greek Mythology</a> is nowhere in sight. </div>
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Oh and did I mention the story I worked on last November
(the one about Polish Mythology/Folklore) has been nudging its way back into my
life. Not that I’ve been working on it but I can hear it calling to me from the
recesses of my hard-drive. Even though I’m hearing these callings and am
feeling pulled towards various writing endeavors I can’t get over the feeling
that everything I put down on paper sounds like shit. Sorry for the language
but that’s how I feel. I guess for the time I just have to let it be what it
is, continue to work on it and hopefully, with some skill and some luck,
something beautiful will emerge. </div>
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So where can the equinox help me. Equinox means equal night.
Today we are experiencing 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. This is a
great time to breathe deep and feel connected with stillness, the mindfulness,
and be in balance with our world. Because this is the spring time we need to move
forward on the exhale. Breathe deep the power of balance on this day. Feel it aligning
you with heaven and earth. All your parts fitting in place. Now breathe out momentum
and growth. This isn’t the summer time so there is no reason to bolt out of the
starting gate like a race horse. There will be time again for that kind of
intense movements. For now move with this season. Stretch towards the strengthen
sun; reach for the summer stars. Let the fires of the warming earth and sun fuel your work and your beautiful creations. </div>
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Breath in deep my friends, Spring is here!</div>
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-48750914577837619122013-02-24T23:13:00.003-06:002013-02-24T23:18:19.771-06:00Hansel and Gretel Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you’re looking for nothing more than a bit of entertainment and don’t mind spending ten dollars on a movie ticket, then by
all means go and see Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. If not, then wait for
the DVD. Either way it will be an hour and forty minutes of fun but not
excitement. The plot and<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>dialog are predictable. The setting is the standard 21<sup>st</sup>interpretation of midlevel Europe. The same can be said for the costumes. In
truth not every woman walked around in a bodice and had heaving cleavage and a
full set of pearly white teeth. This was very much a fairy-tale world; more
fantasy than magical realism.
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The acting was fair. I wouldn’t say that Jeremy Renner
(The Avengers) was an amazing actor but he sure is sexy. There was a great
opportunity to see some of those rippling muscles at one point in the film but
instead we get a good shot of Ingrid Bolsø Berdal’s backside and breasts. This
is a wonderful example of how Hollywood is just fine with showing female
sexuality but heaven forbid the male is seen as anything but pure machismo and a
killing-machine. That’s not to say we need to hyper-sexualize everything. I
think the American culture is far too obsessed with compartmentalizing and
cutting everything into objectifiable pieces, especially in regards to women/the
feminine. American culture objectifies women all the time but when it comes to
men, we have a much harder time swallowing the idea that man can be seen as a
sexual object. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now on to what the pagan community is really good at:
seeing a witch in the main-stream and crying intolerance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, the vast number of magic-users/witches
in movies are cast as the villain. They eat children or burn down towns or turn
people into frogs. This comes from the Judeo-Christian tradition that sees
magic and witchcraft as evil. American’s live in a changing culture based
around that same Judeo-Christian puritanical ideology. Therefore witches will
be the villains just as vampires and werewolves once were the monsters that
were sought out and slain. Hollywood loves to take the witch and make it into
the bad guy. Simple fact. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m not going to yell at the creators of Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. The original story is about a pair of children who
almost get eaten by a witch. Of course their adult-selves would become witch
hunters, especially if that’s what witches do (eat children and burn down
towns)in this particular fantasy world. Fairytales are not real. YES we can
learn from them. I treat folktales as scripture and as such I see characters
and ideas as universal metaphors. I could deconstruct the tale of Hansel and
Gretel and the resent film adaption into bits and pieces and come up with
something about how our obsession with youth and acting like children is going
to be the end of our civilization and the only way to save ourselves is to
accept the past for what it is, forgive our parents for our <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">terrible</i> childhoods and realize our true
paths/selves but that might be giving this film to much credit. To claim that
Hollywood is calling the modern pagan religions and those who identify as
witches as nothing but evil hell-spawn who deserve to executed —burning-times
style— is simply not the case. </span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course modern witches i.e. REAL WITCHES do not fly
through the air or puck the eyes out of newts for potions. We go to work, buy
groceries from the store and farmers market; we put our pants on one leg at a
time. That being said, it would be nice, if not fun, to see witches normalized
or at least not demonized in film. And it is. The best example of this is
Practical Magic (1998). If you’re thinking what about The Craft (1996), well I’m
still not sure how I feel about that one. Another is the upcoming movie adaption
of <a href="http://www.starhawk.org/writings/fifth-sacred-thing.html">Starhawk’s
The Fifth Sacred Thing</a>. I cannot wait for this to come to the big screen. It will be a few years. It is in the works but because they are creating an ecologically sustainable praxis for the film-industry (of course Starhawk would do that… and that’s why I love her) plus creating sets for the movie that can be used by the city of San Francisco post-production it will be a few years before it will be coming to a screen near you. You can support the </span></span></div>
<a href="http://www.fifthsacredthing.com/">project here.</a><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></i>
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<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I would be great if an old fairy tale was adapted to have
the witch/magic user not a villain. Even in Hansel and Gretel there were white-witches
(though she played the martyr more than she was the mage/holy woman). It would
be great if men were portrayed as witches (I know what you’re thinking and a
warlock is not a male witch. The world warlock comes from <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">the old English warloghe</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
meaning “breaker of faith”; in other words… a liar). I would be sweet is a
movie came out, fantasy or otherwise, that showcased modern witches. I’m not
saying it’s needed but it wouldn’t be bad P.R. if it happened.</span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It’</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">s true the over-culture is
not </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">permeated</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> with ideas of what it means to be a witch in
the 21<sup>st</sup> century. </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Most people don’t know what witches and pagans do for rituals. This isn’t
the media’s fault. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Let us move on an</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">d</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> realize witches in film do not do the things
real witches do in the real world.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> If you talk to a doctor they
will say the same thing about shows like House and Gray’s Anatomy</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">. If a film comes out that shows modern
witches, using modern rituals, citing modern pagan events, and has those characters
doing evil things to good people, then we’ll have something to cry and complain
about. Movies that take place in a clearly fictional world should not be used
as an argument that modern pagan religions and witches in particular are being
persecuted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<![endif]-->MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-68206787611226530012013-02-07T08:28:00.002-06:002013-02-07T16:37:56.291-06:00Ida of Kildare <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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ĺda was a child, barely six years of age, when she was
brought to the abbey of Kildare. When she arrived her stomach was as empty as
her head. She wasn’t the only little girl there. Nuns herded groups of five or
six into and out of buildings like the shepherds that herded the little black
and white and brown sheep. She gave a fearful good-bye as her father deposited
her into the hands of the sisters dressed in gray. She cried mightily for
several days when she realized he would never would come back for her. Some nuns
were kind and took compassion on her; finger combing her hair until she fell
asleep. Some nuns were neither kind nor caring. They had seen this before and
showed no mercy; little girl comes, cries, and carries on with her life. This
was the way of things at monasteries and they believed Kildare should be no
different. <br />
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With a bent head she learned to read and write with rest of the
little girls. She took to the learning of Latin verse and prayer as a babe
takes to the breast. Of all the girls there at Kildare, ĺda was the one who
recited the rosary and the Lord ’s Prayer the best. Her vowels were strong and
her consonants sharp. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By age nine she
knew the linage of Christ, the number of popes in the Holy See, and even a
little Greek she learned form a traveling Bard who had a little yellowing
scroll bearing the names of prophets she had never heard of before.</div>
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Ĺda, head always bowed
as in prayer or titled toward an illuminated manuscript. She did not find outside
world beautiful nor pleasant as ink on velum. The pastures of sheep terrified
her as the reciting of rosaries did not. She said their eyes were slant wise
and would twist her mind in evil and unwanted ways. The forest too was filled
with terrors only Satin himself could have vomited into the world. Treacherous
mushrooms and trees branched out in twisted and obscene angles only to reach out to
devour wandering travelers whole. The worst of the hillsides wonders were the
little folk. The nuns whispered in their tiny ears that they were demons who
donned unholy tattoos and danced around fires every night, singing prayers to
their earthly gods. They instructed all students to stay within the nunnery
grounds; that the lights in the hills would steel their very souls. Ĺda, who
trembled like twigs in the wind at the mention of anything that might come from
within the dark, green wood consumed every word of the nuns folktales. </div>
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Mother Lìadan scolded them. She called them fools. She heard
their non-sense as she prayed in the little chapel or sat beside the holy well
of St. Brigid. She was old, far older than any of the other nuns clothed in
brown or gray. Though her hands were roped and her face withered as February
apples she still managed to bring in water from the well, tend the herbs, and
lift herself after kneeling for many hours without the aid of others. She has
seen the faire folk and knew they are neither demons nor evil spirits sent by
Satin to spread sin across the green and fair Ireland. </div>
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<br /></div>
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“Those folk are harmless and know the joys of life as you or
I never will,” she said with spite. She looked at Sister Marie and Sister
Dorianne squarely under her wrinkled brow. “They come to drink from the well
just as we do. This is a blessed place. All who come before God, by whatever
name they call him, are slacked of thirst here and should be welcomed with open
arms.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With that she says no more but bitterly sips her thin mutton
broth. The cross of St. Brigid swung back and forth, like a pendulum. Its
reed-woven form kept time in the rarefied air and no one spoke for the rest of
the lunch hour. She knew what they said about her in the secrecy of cloister or garden wall. They said she was actually a Druid. They said she called their patron
saint by her old name. They said she knows how to make poisons from herbs. The
worst she ever heard was that she was in league with the devil himself. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*** </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hope you enjoyed this little piece of fiction. I know it sounds a little dogma heavy but it gets far more interesting. I'm nearly done with the first draft. This will be the February <a href="http://www.cjgrabuski.com/the-lunacy-project/" target="_blank">Lunacy Project</a>. If you like it then share this post with your friends. If you have $5.00 and want the whole thing, <a href="http://www.cjgrabuski.com/the-lunacy-project/" target="_blank">sign up for this month over at my website</a>. I'm so happy to have inspiration once again! </div>
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-3931770969848708102013-02-01T23:59:00.001-06:002013-02-01T23:59:50.040-06:00Imbolc and Brigid<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->I thought I would talk about the holiday that is today. Now
you might be asking you’re self what is there to be celebrating here on February
2nd. Good question actually. Like most holidays, take a look outside and see
what’s going on and you’ll have a general idea of what would be honored on that
day. Thanksgiving is the harvest, Halloween we honor our ancestors. Christmas…
well that’s a whole book’s worth of topics. Like all winter holidays, this one
honors the returning of the sun.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For those that don’t know, Imbolc was celebrated by the
ancient Celts as the time between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Imbolc
can be translated from the Old Irish I mbolg meaning “in the belly”. This
refers to the time when ewes were pregnant. It can also be translated from
oimelc meaning “ewe’s milk”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
combination of the fertility/gestation, nourishment, and the returning of light
makes Imbolc a very special time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Okay, so I’m going to assume you’re thinking that an ancient
pagan holiday has nothing to do with me? Ah but that’s where we can thank Christianity
for not completely eradicating all traces of early earth-based traditions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the Roman Catholics invaded the British
Isles and Ireland the celebration of Candlemas is celebrated on February 2nd
and there for the two was merged. Candlemas is also called the Purification of
the Blessed Virgin. Seeing how I’m not Catholic, nor have I been, I’m not exactly
sure what this purpose of this holiday is but if I might take a stab in the
dark I think it might have to with Mary, Mother of Jesus, and honoring her in
some way.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now back to the Celts. The Goddess Brigid (pronounced BREED)
was honored on this day. She was the goddess of healing, poetry, and smithcraft
(metallurgy). Her name translated means “exhaled one”. She is also said to
protect cattle (and other livestock) and bring the spring. Remind you of
anything; groundhogs day perhaps? Of course there will be six more weeks of
winter. Brigid carries the sacred flame. This is both the heat from the hearth
fire and the fire of inspiration. It is the fire of divinity, the fire of the
holy spirit in Christianity. This fire brings us hope and light to our cold and
winter-weary bones. Six more weeks till the Spring Equinox and the warming of
the earth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So here we have Imbolc and Candlemas, Brigid and the Virgin
Mary. These things correlate so well do they not? Brigid the goddess was made
a saint. She served the same purposes as a saint as she did a pagan goddess.
St. Brigid of Kildare is very controversial for the documentation of her birth
and her death appear in several places but do not match up. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also very striking that the Celts would
have a goddess who just happened to match up perfectly with the associations of
this saint. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Where does this leave us? Here in the Midwest we are experiencing
the coldest weather we’ve had since… well, last winter I would suppose. Last
winter was very warm and that makes these temperatures that hover just above
zero during the day and that dive well into the negative thirty’s at night all
the more intense. We can light candles on this day, or a fire in the hearth if
we are so privileged to have such things, and feel the fires heavenly warmth.
We can look at the rising sun and see how far we’ve progressed with the
intentions and goals we set at solstice or at New Year’s. Have we tended those
goals? Have you given up on them? In reflection do you find the soil has gone
fallow? What do you need to nourish to bring life back to your goals? Are you
tending that inner fire? What are you feeding that fire and is it proving to be
good fuel or do you need to dig deeper, find the better wood, make the hard
choices and sacrifice something in order for your goals to be nourished? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In honor of Brigid, I will be posting a short story on the
blog next week relating to this fire festival. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Check back in the middle of next
week for that. What creative endeavor do you do? What do you create? What does
that fire feel like? </div>
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<![endif]-->MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-70716971268327228522013-01-22T17:11:00.001-06:002013-01-22T17:11:35.924-06:00The Illumination of Queen BeesDearest reader,<br />
<br />
My situations really have improved since<a href="http://acts-of-dodola.blogspot.com/2013/01/stuck-with-writing-thoughts-on-gender.html" target="_blank"> last week.</a> I've received a bit of inspiration and almost have a story done for the open submission for <a href="http://crossedgenres.com/" target="_blank">Cross Genera Magazine.</a> I'm really excited cause after being a in a dry spell for the last two months it hasn't been easy. It's not like I'm just pouring out words like they simply can't be contained (though that is really amazing and I love when that happens) but it's not like I'm trying to extract blood from a stone. So that's good. I hope to send out a portion of it it for this months <a href="http://www.cjgrabuski.com/the-lunacy-project/" target="_blank">Lunacy Project</a>. Sign up for this <a href="http://www.cjgrabuski.com/the-lunacy-project/" target="_blank">month</a> (or for a <a href="http://www.cjgrabuski.com/the-lunacy-project/" target="_blank">year</a>?) if you'd like to have a little story to read come this Saturday -which is this months full moon.<br />
<br />
For those interested in what its about: it's a story about a woman looking back on her life, the magic she's made, the lives she's impacted, dignity, and choice. Should be a little controversial but hey, I'm not writing for children here. I think we can discuss sticky issues and raw topics through many means and stories (fictional or other-wise) are excellent places with our culture to have these discussions. <br />
<br />
In other news Pill Hill Press, the publisher for the anthology I've been published by is no longer in business. This is a sad day. They really gave so many new authors the chance to show their work, myself being one of them. I wish the editors over at PHP the best of luck. I send them my love and luck.<br />
<br />
This does mean that I have the rights to my story back. Therefore, instead of attempting to resell the story to another publisher, I have chosen to <a href="http://www.cjgrabuski.com/published-works/tioqb/" target="_blank">publish it on my own website </a>and it is free to you. You can read it right off the site or can download a free PDF version. If you are so inclined to throw a few bucks my way I've put up a $1.00 donation button on the page. This will help pay for the website hosting services so it would be greatly appreciated. I really do hope you enjoy the story. I enjoyed writing it and am very proud of it. I really do consider it the first stepping stone to being considered a published author and that is why I'm really happy I'm able to bring it to you. <br />
<br />
Thank you all and have a great week!MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-42769658004149496922013-01-15T10:05:00.002-06:002013-01-15T10:20:41.328-06:00Stuck with the Writing & Thoughts on Gender<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As
some of you might be aware, I’ve been struggling with the writing.
<a href="http://acts-of-dodola.blogspot.com/2013/01/devilish.html" target="_blank">Last week’s blog post</a> was kind of a fluke. I enjoyed writing it and it was fun
to go back and do something that required a little more research than usual. In
short, I wrote a 13K word something or other akin to a
paper I would have wrote in college. Sure it contained a more mysticism
than I’m normally comfortable with sharing but what is the internet for other than
over-sharing?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But when
it comes to the fiction writing I’m consistently coming up short. November was
really great. I wrote nearly half a novel in less than 20 days. December wasn’t as good but I
got a lot of editing done. Here we are half way through January and I have very
little accomplished since the beginning of December. I’m struggling with the
<a href="http://www.cjgrabuski.com/the-lunacy-project/" target="_blank">Lunacy Project</a> (which shouldn’t dissuade you from subscribing). I feel like everything I write doesn’t have the usual spark
that it has in the past. I’m not sure if I’m just trying too hard or being
overly expectant of myself. I want to give you all everything I have and continue
to bring you things like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/BUGS-Steven-Gepp/dp/1617061859/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358265374&sr=8-1&keywords=BUGS!+Pill+Hill+Press" target="_blank"><i>The Illuminationof Queen Bees</i></a> and <i>Roses Through the
Fog </i>(a Lunacy Project story).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have
the novel to work on and The Lunacy Project, not to mention my weekly blog
updates. I also have a short story (less than 2000 words) I’ve been working on and want to finish sometime soon.
And now I have two jobs (Jimmy Johns and a tutoring for ISD 194). And I
friends I want to see more than I do. And I will have car payments, and insurance, plus
the .5K a month for student loans. Needless to keep up the litany, I’m a
very busy lady and I haven’t got all day to surf the internet or watch an
endless string of youtube videos. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve recently come across an open submission
for a science-fiction/fantasy magazine. The theme is She. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">“<i>What defines </i><b><i>She</i></b><i>?
External definitions, internal, or the combination of both? When those
definitions change – and they inevitably do – who writes the new rules?</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>We’re looking for stories featuring: women
characters exploring the distinctions and overlap between sex and gender;
transgender women or girls; characters for whom gender is in flux or in
question; and characters who change or redefine what it means to be She."</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
think I would have this in the bag. I mean come on. I have a degree in Women’s
Studies. You would think I would be able to pull out my knowledge of gender,
mix it the experiences of gender fluidity I’ve read about and experienced, add
in a dash of mythology and bam! Amazing story right?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As it
turns out it is a little more difficult that that. I’ve written several
beginnings but nothing feels right. They all feel to be little forced. I don't have a setting and that makes this incredibly difficult for I really want to connect the characters in stories with their surroundings. How does the landscape impact their emotional lives. That is something I writing and feel I'm good at. But I don't even know where to start with this one. The
submission closes at the end of February but I was hoping to use part of it for
Lunacy. I keep coming back to the quote by Simone de Beauvoir “One is not born
a woman, one becomes one”. I think the same could be same of men but I don’t
want to dive into a big examination of what is a woman/man here, or at least
not now. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I need
to find my voice again. I really believe in the adage <i>write what you know</i>. I know I can write. I know this creative
fiction thing is a part of who I am and I need to be very diligent with it. It
is my dream to write beautiful, lush, exotic, and sensory rich stories that
make people feel something. I want emotionally complex characters. I want
wonderful and strange and fantastic settings. I want to bring to the world different
voices, new stories. Thus, when I get pushed against the wall known commonly as
writers block it is really difficult. It’s like there are big, great, exciting
things just on the other side of the wall and if I just push hard enough or let
myself fall into the wall and it will open up and show me everything I have to
offer. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Share
links to articles about gender in the comments or write about your experiences
with gender in the comments. I’d love to hear from you and your interpretations
of masculinity, femininity, and everything that falls in-between and around the
concept of gender. What does She mean to you?</span></span></div>
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-74161268115489832892013-01-09T16:48:00.000-06:002013-01-10T22:16:22.399-06:00DevilishI went downstairs earlier this afternoon to tell my father I
got an interview tomorrow morning. Before I can even deliver the wonderful news he holds a hand up to my face and says something about how he doesn’t want
to see it. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wondering what “it” is? That would be my nose-ring. This had been a
topic of contention between my parents and me ever since I got "it" over two
years go. This is understandable for it is definitely considered deviant
behavior. Outside of earlobe piercings, all other piercings are considered to
be outside the normal realm of acceptable behavior in western culture. They deviate from our expectations of regular self-expression. Some piercings (nipple, genital, nasal
sphincter, and gaging of any tip) are even considered grotesque for they mark
an open/exposed orifice. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a surface examination of piercings.<span class="st"> Anthropologist
Lévi-Strauss points out that</span> in cool/cold society’s (of which western
culture is one) piercings and tattoos are consider to be individualistic and each
mark’s meaning is different/up to the individual to create meaning. This means each individual
has a different meaning for the mode and choice of self-expression. We don't have body modifications which no note things such as rank, social status, or placement within our socitey. Anyone can have a tattoo or ear piercing and there for these are not our indicators of social stratification. In a hot/warm society, various
markings (tattoos/piercings) mean the same thing for everyone in the tribe. Each
tattoo has a specific meaning and it is known throughout the enter culture. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that we have the basics down on body modifications and
how it relates to society we can dive back into my story. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As soon as my father said he didn’t want to see it, I told
him to stop and to get over his preconceived notions of what it means to have a
nose-ring. That is when he said it was devilish. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Stop: Lets examine this for a moment. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Devilish, as in, relating to the devil. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s look at the
depictions of the devil. Seeing how my father is a religious man, and studies
the bible weekly, I will turn to the bible to look for details about what the
devil looks like. Under the “Subjects Appendix” of the NIV there is no entry
for “devil”. Under “Satan” there is many versus that say that Satan defies God’s
power but nowhere is there an actual depiction of Satan. Nowhere does the bible
say anything about Satan/the devil having any rings of any sort. The devil isn’t
even said to have a nose. In fact there are no direct biblical description of the devil. The only glimpse we get at Satan's "physical form" would be his history as an angel/fallen angel; thus Satan looks like an angle. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clearly my father was not using his vast knowledge of the
bible to describe the piecing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So where is he getting this relationship between a nose-ring
and the devil? There is certainly a lot of historical depictions of the devil
being grotesque and bestial, much of this coming from medieval art and
iconography. The devil is often shown as possessing a goat head or goat feet or
a forked tail or possessing any number of animalistic attributes. These images come from pre-Christian religions or spiritual
traditions which often had very strong agricultural focus. The cycles of summer
and winter dictated the flow of life and the livestock became the source of
your very life, thus they were held with great reverence. Christianity comes in
makes demons out of the old gods. Therefore you have the goat and the bull now
have a connection with the devil/Satan. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Now let’s look at livestock outside of a medieval frame.
They often had nose-rings (see I was getting around to this) in which they were
led around the farm and tied to posts and such. They tilled the fields and
provided nourishment through their deeds (and their bodies) to the community.
They were bound to the earth and to the master. This is why I have a nose-ring.
It is my tethering, my grounding in the earth. I have worked the field with my
hands. I have used my body to bring food to the table for many people. It is my
religion, in its original meaning, my re-connection. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While living in Lakeville (suburbia) and while it is winter it is
hard to remain connected with the land. It is impossible to work the land when it is covered in the snow and ice. The nose-ring is a constant
reminder that I have chosen to tie myself to the earth, to serve the community. I am
not a beast of burden. I am not whipped by a master into working. I have chosen
to place my will in the hands of the earth and she is bountiful. Many Christians
do this with Jesus. There are many traditional prayers asking their will to be the
will of God. I have done the same but to the earth. To flow with the cycles of
the seasons; To be bountiful; to rest when necessary; To give birth to new generations
and to take what is old and broken and bring it into a new time and place and form. The cycles and
rhymes of nature are holy and sacred. They bring a wholeness to my life. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As such I have taken up the symbol of the nose-ring to connotation
this message. In the cold society, as laid out by <span class="st">Lévi-Strauss,
the messages piercings and tattoos have is often misinterpreted. People do not
take the time to ask what does it mean? Instead these individuals are written off
as deviant, as other, and as an outsider. In this time when we need to be
looking at everybody, in all their parts, we need to look at the outsiders,
those who do not have privilege, the unrepresented and listen to what they have
to say. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Devil: relating to Satan, who in the Old Testament was called
the Adversary. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now I don’t necessary have a problem with this one. I don’t
mind being an Adversary, especially if it is an opponent of the main-steam, hegemonic
culture. The adversary calls out the powers-that-be and says <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Check yourself. You are wrong. Here are
reasons why I see your actions as wrong and I will oppose them. </i>If my
nose-ring is a symbol of Satan and thus a sign of the adversary I wish to make
myself a safe place where we can discuss prominent ideas and challenge them. If
we strive for balance then we need to have an adversary to check ourselves
against. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do not see myself as the Satan, the devil, which is said
to bring evil into the world, which is the one most often written about in the
Bible. I do not spread the ideas which separate us from god. I do not spread
sin. When I have been an advocate for greed? I do not condone violence. I will
not shroud you in darkness. I can help lead you through the darkness and
explore the compost rich dark night of your soul. I’ve gone down that road
before. It is dark and lonely, confusing and often a place of great sadness,
but we are not meant to dwell forever there. If anything, I claim to write about
illumination: to bring light upon. I don’t claim to be a saint or a guru. I’m
not filled with the pure light of god (show me someone who is) but I can say I’ve
see, felt, been filled by and in the presence of the multifarious, ego shattering, wall dissolving, soul expanding light of the divine. I see the divine everywhere: it comes in so
many colors, shapes, and sizes. I do not take people away from divine. I would
never equate my nose-ring or it’s symbolism with destruction and depression. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If my father wants to call my nose-ring devilish, then I ask him (and
you dear reader) to use it as a term that relates to the earth-tiller, bringer
of bounty, servant to the land and community.* Let’s call those who rail against the dominator society by pointing out its short coming, its hidden spots, those who it suppresses, devils. Let's reclaim the word. Let’s call them
devils and adversaries and see them as necessary, valuable and need parts of our society.
We might live on the edges of society on the fridges, but we can see into
the hegemony. Let us honor every element of our culture and treat it all with
care. Let us be shifting, changing and stalwart members of a loving, caring
community. Care for those who are “grotesque”. Care for the adversary. They
will protect you, from yourself.<br />
<br />
*Editing note: I don't think we can "warm-up" our socitey. I don't believe that we can take our current body-modifications and attach meaning to them as warm socitey does. To live in a cool society means we need to ask each other what our body modifications mean. We need to see people who are covering in tattoos or piercings as people are convening a message and instead of seeing the surface, realize their is a history in that ink. There is a story behind her tattoo. Body modifications are intensly personal, even if they are in publicly visible places. It's our jobs are humans not to see each-other as outside but to inquire, with tact and sincerity. </div>
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-52804746084057867182012-12-27T10:09:00.000-06:002012-12-27T10:10:48.143-06:00The Ring: A Story of Memories and Loss<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the spirit of Christmas and Solstice I wish to
share a story with you all. It is not a piece of fiction but is, in fact, very
real and very believable and it starts with a ring. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, this ring was not gold nor was it forged from
precious metals stolen from maidens or has it been owned by an evil king. This
was a simple piece of surgical steel engraved with what one would call “tribal
designs.” From which tribe this symbol made of curved and slicing lines
belonged to, I have no idea. I do not actually believe the design to have had
any connection to any indigenous belief systems. Think tattooed arm band from
the 90’s and you’ve just about got it. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now my father purchased this ring in a gift shop
somewhere in the Washington peninsula. I saw it, thought it was cool (I was
sixteen at the time) and the ring being 10 dollars he bought it for me. It was
very nice of him and I was very gracious. I had never had a ring before and I
thought it was great. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Little did any of us know, this ring would be gone from
my life in less than a day. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not twenty-four hours after the purchasing of said
ring, it had found its way to the bottom of a glacial lake. The story goes like
this.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Scene:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
Family of four, white, middle-class, stops along a scenic road to view a
glacial lake. <br />
Parents are in their mid-forties. Children are teenagers and are throwing rocks
the size of bread loaves into the lake. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mother:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
Stop throwing rocks.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Teenage
boy:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
One more.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mother:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
No.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Teenage boy throws one more rock. The ring he is
wearing comes off and is lost in the lake. The water is only two feet deep
until roughly 3 meters into the lake where the elevation plummets to a depth so
far down it is terrifying to stand that close!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thus the ring was lost to all time. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">End
Scene.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That December my sister finds an identical ring
online and gifts it to me for Christmas. The ring was worn and loved and
periodically lost many times over the next decade. Once it spent the whole of a
winter under my friend’s deck. We were hot tubing and it fell off the chair where
I had placed my clothes and was not recovered until the snow melted and her
parents found it. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now comes August 2012. I went to Madeline Island, WI
for my friend’s birthday (different friend than the one mentioned above but no
less lovely and wonderful). We were camping near a beach and when a few of us
decided to go skinning dipping at night I took my ring off. Long story short,
when the cop told us to put our clothes back on, the ring was temporary
forgotten and thus lost to the sand and surf. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Side
note:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Lake Superior and I have a touchy relationship. I
love that lake so much. It is beautiful, calming, and so much fun; and yet once
every few years or so it takes something very important to me. My freshmen year
of college I went down for a moonlight swim and forgot to take off my glasses.
After diving under and resurfacing blind, I knew they were gone forever. I try
to be cautious around the lake but mama has her ways and takes what she will. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The lake has her ways and I had a feeling I would be
paying for the weekend in one way or another. A sacrifice was made and that weekend
will live forever in the minds and hearts of all those who were there. It was a
very special vacation and carries the nine of us through the years to this day.
I just celebrated the winter solstice with them for the first time and it was
just as lovely and wonderful as that time on Madeline Island. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve been ring-less for a few months now. At first
it was really weird not wearing anything on my left thumb. It’s surprising how
accustom we become to the clothes we wear or the jewelry we put on every day. I
really did/do miss that ring. You can see there was some real history wrapped
around it. I really wanted to keep it for a long time. Nothing like a heirloom but
something to have and hold for a good portion of my life. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My parents got me two rings this Christmas. They’re
like the other one in that they are both made of steel, nothing fancy. No “tribal”
designs this time. They are nice and I wear them both, one on my left thumb and
the other on my right index. The new rings still feel odd on my hands but in
time I’ll get use to them. I don’t really have a good story for them. Never the
less, in time I will have written and told tales that include them too.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Perhaps I should name them? </span></div>
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-61085925405213147872012-12-16T00:59:00.000-06:002012-12-16T00:59:06.142-06:00Prayers for Newtown and Thoughts for The Future <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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For the victims and the community members of Newtown, Connecticut
this is a very dark time. As you know twenty children and seven adults were murdered
in the elementary school on last Friday. I wish to extend my deepest compassion
and greave with you in the days and night ahead. I know what it like to lose a
family member long before you expect them to pass on. To lose a child must be one
of the worst experiences. There will be days when it will not make sense when
sun rises. It will confuse you when others go about their lives as if nothing
has changed and there is a giant space left in the wake this event. I can only
wish you comfort, support, and solace in the days, months, years, a head. </div>
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<br /></div>
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For those of us with children, please hug them extra hard in
this time of grieving. When you see loved ones for Chanukah, Solstice,
Christmas, Kwanzaa, or whatever winter time holy day you celebrate, hold them
tight and thank your stars they are still here in your life. </div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the reasons why this has captivated the nation as
deeply as it has is because it involves children. These were innocent children in
kindergarten. Children are blessings. They are our future. I have advocated
many times for every child to be a wanted child. I have also adopted the belief
that children are special for their innocence, for their gifts of creativity, inclusiveness,
empathy; their way of making the illogical seem sensible and hilarious. So to
see these children gunned down in a place where they are meant to learn and grow;
in a safe space where they are told to play and learn at the same time, is so horrendous
it is surly an unquantifiable loss. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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To place this in a bit of prospective I’ve recently seen the
statistic that the city of Chicago “<span class="usercontent">had 488 homicides
this year…The Iraq war alone has a conservative estimate of civilian deaths at
105,052 from March 2003 to 2012.” That last one would mean that roughly 31
people are killed every day in Iraq. How much is coverage of these deaths is
the press giving to these murders, these acts of violence? Can we say really
say these deaths are culturally sanctioned because it is a war, like that makes
it okay, verse the deaths of these children right here on our door step? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="usercontent">These are big questions and I don’t
know if there are answers to them (but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to
find some solutions).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="usercontent">As tragic events are want to do this
has sparked controversy. The battle over gun control verse personal freedoms is
now well on its way. Like same-sex marriage and abortion we all know what the facts
are, what the opinions are, and what lies in a moral/ethical gray area. For
each individual this gray area is going to look a little different (if it not
black or white for someone). Like all controversies, the way to getting to
moving beyond the dualism is not by rehashing the same arguments but by finding
the systemic roots. I think for gun-control it is not talking about regulations
(because of freedom issues) but rather about helping those who have mental
illnesses. I believe Hanna Hart (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Drunk
Kitchen</i>) says it best on her secondary channel <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x08NrVG9Dg">yourharto.</a> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="usercontent">In the cases of mass shootings we
need to talk about the issues surrounding the events. In this case access to
mental health care for the mentally ill is a key topic. We need to talk about being
a bully, what that looks like and how that effects our peers, and accepting and
loving people for who they are. We need to encourage and support these individuals
to seek counseling and to feel free to talk about what is troubling them, free
of judgment. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to be creating a
culture where it is okay to be different. We need a culture that does not shame
the mentally ill or the depressed. I think children, specifically small children,
say kindergarteners, can help us adults learn how to be more empathic towards
others. This, I believe, can make a huge impact in the amount of violence, specifically
physical violence, which is acted out in our society. This will greatly
decrease the number of mass shootings. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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I do think some of our laws in our country are inherently
wrong. I don’t understand why we are free to purchase weapons but not raw milk.
I why is it legal for me in Lakeville, MN (a suburb of MLPS/St. Paul) to own
several guns but not several chickens? I come from a family of hunters and
therefor have many family members who own a number of hunting rifles. This is
how they acquire food for their family. This is sustainable and wonderful. Why
can I not own a small flock of chickens? Why can I buy tobacco or alcohol but
not marijuana? I can eat myself into diabetes, obesity, and oblivion by eating
nothing but fast food and potato chips but it is next to impossible to feed
myself and my family with local/organic foods. I think we have many freedoms in
this country and for that I am glad but the access and ability to nourish
ourselves is severely limited to those who have upper-class privilege. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Do we really want a culture where it is easier to destroy ourselves
than to nourish, restore, and support each other?</div>
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<br /></div>
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These are questions I think we really need to
be asking ourselves, each other, and those who make our laws. I really hope
this tragedy will help open our eyes as a nation to how much damage this
illusion of autonomy (which is the idea that we are separate from everything
i.e. the environment, our food system, our political system, our neighbors) is
doing. When we don’t see how much pain and hurting the people in our
communities are in, these are the kinds of events that transpire. When we think
we are not involved in the lives of other we don’t notice the next door
neighbor who is struggling with depression and mental illness. We also don’t
notice the family struggling to make ends meet. We don’t see the number of fish
in our rivers and lakes are diminishing because of the industrial agriculture
chemicals and roadside run off. There are just a few examples but you see what
I mean. </div>
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I know we can’t go
around making sure everybody is okay all the time (I would never ask that of
anyone) but we can be more compassionate towards one another for sure. This
means not being a judgmental ass-hole or telling someone to just “get over it”.
Sometimes people have real problems and telling them to pick themselves up and move
on is not the right response and actually worsens their psychological condition
on a biological level. I believe we do need to get thicker skins but also we
need to be more compassionate. It’s a two way street that leads to greater
empowerment and stronger communities. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Now is the time to be with our loved ones. It is almost the
winter solstice and I can’t wait to celebrate it with dear friends. I love
spending Christmas with my family and will miss my sister while she is in
Tulsa, OK. I will see friends on New Year’s and ring in 2013 with hopes and
intentions for a brighter more peaceful future. </div>
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-73929521088954525512012-12-03T16:14:00.000-06:002012-12-03T16:14:05.447-06:00Mary Watches <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2iSEjvZKBjeb4zqkcy33hHP2IGw-9sx1u5Kvg2i70yR5vQxupc1tEDVzEY8bOiIWUv_TztzFPda1wm-7B6rTd08G_wkdJJvso2OsCIcBi2G3SXUSJec8VoJSz9o9Hp2FurJtq8HPK3b8/s1600/virgin-of-guadalupe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2iSEjvZKBjeb4zqkcy33hHP2IGw-9sx1u5Kvg2i70yR5vQxupc1tEDVzEY8bOiIWUv_TztzFPda1wm-7B6rTd08G_wkdJJvso2OsCIcBi2G3SXUSJec8VoJSz9o9Hp2FurJtq8HPK3b8/s1600/virgin-of-guadalupe.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have a jar
candle on my desk. Generally it is just plain yellow or green or blue. I buy
them at dollar stores or grocery stores or the occasional occult shop; though
the later tend to be spend-y and covered in glyphs or sigils that I don’t need.
That’s not to say I couldn’t use some extra creatively or motivation around
here. I light the candle whenever I’m at my desk, which is most the day when I’m
not working at Jimmy John’s. This means I go through about one candle every two
weeks; at roughly $2.50 each that’s not a bad deal to have a warm glow
illuminate my workspace. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This time the
candle is not plain but is decorated with the image of the <a href="http://stjudecc.com/" target="_blank">Vigen de Guadalupe</a>.
I saw her at the grocery store next to Our Lady of San Juan (which looks like a
woman’s head with wearing a really fancy crown atop a big blue bell with) and
the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I like Mary even though there is a ton of controversy
over all her symbolism and what it means for women (in specific to their
sexuality). All of that aside I feel a sort of affinity towards her. So I bought
the candle not thinking much about it and she sat unlit on a shelf in my room
for a few weeks till the candle on my desk ran out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(I'm aware that The Vigen de Guadalupe is not The Virgin Mary but they are analogues. In my experiences they been used interchangeably but do have very distinct background, histories, come from different culture, stories are different, etc. If you know more about how they are alike and how they are different, leave a comment below or send me an <a href="mailto:cjgrabuski@gmail.com" target="_blank">e-mail</a>.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mary has
been watching me write my first novel, balance my check book, write these blog
posts, surf the net, and play a little WoW. She has also seen me write out my
student loan checks. Having only the part time job at Jimmy John’s I currently only
have $45 at the end of the month after paying the student loan debt. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I came to
this realization yesterday and I would be lying if it didn’t upset me quite a
bit. I actually became angry at how we, as a society, tell our youths to go to
college and how we have a system that makes our 20-somthings into indentured servants
to the banks. I’ll save you the whole two hours internal diatribe and get to
the point. By the time I had fumed over my lack of financial freedom I had tumbled
into a really dark place. Sitting at the computer looking for answers and a way
to bring myself out of a really scary, intense place, I saw Mary’s face illumined
by the candle light. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m not
going to say I felt better automatically but I felt as though she had some
compassion she wanted to bring to the world (it wasn’t just me). It wasn’t some
divine revelation. There was no exact moment when I felt magically all better
about my situation and that the world loved me once again. There was no conversation
to Catholicism or anything so extreme. I didn’t fall to my knees and cry or
feel shriven. There was just a calmness that and I felt this figure’s message
was only bring compassion into the world. I can’t say it was a tangible or tactile
feeling. It was gentle and subtle. It was kind and soothed the pains I had
inside and made my thoughts of doing terrible things seem like nonviable
options. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t want
this to come off as an attempt at converting others cause let’s be honest; that’s
not what I’m about. If you are Catholic I would love to hear about your experiences,
knowledge, and relationship to Mary and what she means to you. If you are
non-religious, what are your thoughts on Mary? If pagan/goddess centered what
do you think of Mary? Leave your comments below or send me an <a href="mailto:cjgrabuski@gmail.com" target="_blank">e-mail</a>. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m happy
she sits on my desk, watching over me; over the world, and in some small way
that is partly psychological, some part mystical, wants nothing more than to
bring compassion into my life/into the world. </span></div>
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-46400897479741496902012-11-28T12:44:00.001-06:002012-12-26T12:40:57.632-06:00Metis Is Spared <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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She reaches into the ocean and draws up another piece of
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MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-77960011490362834822012-11-20T09:07:00.001-06:002012-11-20T09:16:50.427-06:00The Lunacy Project: NovemberWhile I continue to work (and struggle) with my current novel I wanted to give y'all a taste of this months<a href="http://acts-of-dodola.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-lunacy-project.html" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1503606821131867928" target="_blank">Lunacy</a> story. I'm very proud of it and think its one of my best. So in hopes that this will spark your desire to <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/charlesjosephgrabuski/the-lunacy-project" target="_blank">buy the story</a> ($5/$3) I'm giving you, dear reader, a look at the first paragraph. I hope you find it interesting and want more. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
********************************************************************************** <br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It rolled through every street, down every avenue, and spread itself thickly across the hillsides and vase rolling plane of farmed land. Its density was reported by a weather woman with tawny brown hair, like a sparrow feathers, who stood in front of a map that showed the city and surrounding areas. It was all covered in thick gray clouds. She genitally cautioned the public to dive safely and to plan accordingly. Those who could afford it called into work; the less fortunate carefully meandered to their jobs. Lights on the tops of trucks and buses flashed like magnesium fireflies in the soft haze of the spectral fog. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The weather professionals said it would dissipate by noon like ice in April. It did not. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
**********************************************************************************</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Want the rest? It's only $5.00. ($3.00 for PDF) <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/charlesjosephgrabuski/the-lunacy-project" target="_blank">Follow the link here to sign up</a> for this month (or a whole year). Please sign up today or by Sunday (11-25-2012) for this months story. I will be shipping them out on Monday to ensure they will arrive in your mailboxes on the full moon. </div>
<br />
A Lunacy subscription not only gets you one story a month but supports me in my efforts as an aspiring author. You can buy them month to month or get a year long subscription. It's up to you. Short story are great. They don't take weeks/months to finish reading as full length novels can and you still get the experience of a full length story. They can made great '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsABTmT1_M0" target="_blank">Treat</a> Yo <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBcRjha8VBc" target="_blank">Self'</a> gifts or a simple anytime gift for the reader in your life. Year long subscriptions are a great Christmas presents or that something fun you look forward to each month. So bring some cheer into your life and help support an author get his feet on the ground.<br />
<br />
Thanks for all your love and<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/charlesjosephgrabuski/the-lunacy-project" target="_blank"> support</a>.<br />
<br />MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-18918410230061616782012-11-18T11:52:00.000-06:002012-11-18T11:52:48.534-06:00Skyfall Review: Shadows of the Past<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As soon
as Mr. bond went over the waterfall and is dragged underground in the opening
credits, in which we hear Adele’s brassy and classic bond-themed song <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Skyfall</i>, I thought <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oh. This is going to be a katabasis, a descent and a return. </i>But as
we kept going underground, through tunnels, London’s subway system, WWII
bunkers, over dark waters, and into the desolate misted hills of Scotland, I
was waiting for the return, that light at the end of the tunnel. But it never
happens. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
themes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Skyfall</i> come right out of
the seventh house in astrology and the sign of Scorpio: death, sex, additions,
ageing, and the past. All of these are played to their fullest and are cast in
shadows and the color blue. Even the fight scenes are filled with mirrors,
sharp over-the-shoulder angles, and shadows. In a Shanghai high-rise the gun
shots and smashing of windows is acted through the dark of night and electric
blue projections of fiber-optic tendrils and a luminescent jellyfish. James
Bond (Daneil Crige) and his foe Patrice, played by Ola Rapace, are silhouettes
of themselves fighting in the dark, lending to an almost theatrical display of
armed combat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Of
course what would a James Bond flick be without the women. Judi Dench once
again plays the motherly M. She is first and foremost the head of MI6 and plays
her stochastic, emotionless self to the T, making the hard decision for the
safety of England and the world with every turn. As the film progresses and the
plot keeps its metaphoric and literal downward path, her hard-edged resolve is
slowly melted away, as if all the films watery filled scenes attempt to wash
away at her steadfastness while remnants of the past are reviled. Her
performance is great and for being 77 years old and still captivating the
audience, I say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You go girl!</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Naomie
Harris (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest) plays second fiddle to bond
throughout the film and I wish she would have had I bigger role. She is a
strong, graceful, and quick witted agent who acts as flirt and support for bond
in several key scenes. She delivered her lines well and held the audience’s
attention through high and low parts. I look forward to see her kick ass and
hold her own in future films. The lovely and lithe Sévérine, played by Bérénice
Lim Marlohe, is perhaps the stereotypical bond girl: Pretty and doomed play a
part in the villain’s plans. Sévérine is more a prop than a character. Even her
dresses plays up the fluid nature of the films, skin tight and shadowy evening
gowns detailed with black curling designs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Javier Bardem
(Eat Pray Love, No Country for Old Men), is Silva. He’s smooth like a snake and
just as cunning. His blond hair and eyelashes and clay like face lean towards
the grotesque. He is one good villain with just the right amount of crazy which
makes his one step ahead of MI6 plot that more thrilling. Even in the end, with
his final encounter with M, his dialogue rips at everything the film has been digging
down towards. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Skyfall
is classic James Bond, drawing from the old Bond mythos in every way: cars,
women, martinis (shaken), bullets, and exotic locations. But all the tropes
don’t bore you with the clichés. There are plenty of explosions, car chases,
close calls —sometimes all in the same scene—to keep you on the edge of your
seat the whole time. Don’t
expect to come out on top with waving Union Jacks. This is a darker side of the
bond story. It is a ride through the past, through fog and shadows and I
highly recommend the trip. </span></div>
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-31645413187407665632012-11-13T16:13:00.000-06:002012-11-13T23:18:15.441-06:00New Moon, New Names, New Projects<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
So as you know these last few weeks (if not
months) has been a very big transitional period for me. Graduation, then all
the shifting duty’s and attitudes around the farm, not to mention the ever
present changing of the seasons, then that ended and I moved back to Lakeville. That's a lot for less than seven months.
Now I’m looking for a job in the non-profit sector as opposed to agriculture
(still wondering if that’s the right choice). On top of all that, I’m really
trying focusing on the writing, which if you are reading this blog, I do truly thank
you.<br />
<br />
With all of these changes I feel the need to renovating and reconstructing
my public identity. I’ve been published under Charles Grabuski in the
Roaring Muse, <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/mercedes-lucero/the-naked-feather-2012/paperback/product-20010336.html">The Naked Feather</a>, and the short story <a href="http://www.amazon.com/BUGS-Steven-Gepp/dp/1617061859/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352842794&sr=8-1&keywords=BUGS!+pill+hill+press"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Illumination of Queen Bees</i></a> (P.S. there are only two copies left). I have an urban occult story out for consideration from <a href="http://www.anachronpress.com/">Anarchron Press </a>in the UK under then name Charles Joseph Grabuski. I really hope that one will get published cause
that would be awesome. Send some prayers and energy my way. But my full name
sounds to clunky. It’s a bit long and I’d like something a bit more condensed;
a byline that maybe sounds and looks a little more authorial. <br />
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In the new moon light (or absence thereof) I’m choosing CJ
Grabuski as my new byline. I like it. It’s quick, to the point and retains my
last name which I truly do love. Future husband, please realize that I will be
keeping my last name but will consider hyphenating. </div>
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<br /></div>
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With this new name, I’m also switching email addresses. I’m
keeping my university e-mail (<a href="mailto:grabu004@d.umn.edu">grabu004@d.umn.edu</a>)
as my main/professional address but for the writing, the short stories, and The
Lunacy Project, I’ve created <a href="mailto:cjgrabuski@gmail.com">cjgrabuski@gmail.com</a>.
Either will be ways fine ways of contacting me. The website is currently under
development as I construct something more professional than the Google site. <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/charlesjosephgrabuski/">I’m keeping it</a> up and running for now seeing how I’m trying to stay focused on the writing aspect
of the whole thing. In fact, besides sending off three resumes, I've started a novella today. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Speaking of the New Moon: there’s just over a week left to
sign up for this month’s story (or sign up for a whole year if the spirit moves
you). This month’s story is really good. I’m really proud of it. <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/charlesjosephgrabuski/the-lunacy-project">I
hope you in turn will find it just as good.</a> </div>
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<br /></div>
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NEW PROJECT</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://cargocollective.com/kaileymodesign/about-me">Kailey
Mo Becker</a> is an amazing graphic designer and dear friend of mine and
together we have created the <a href="http://cargocollective.com/kaileymodesign/ten-words-or-less" target="_blank">Ten Words or Less</a> project. Simply put, I’ve written little phrases from various
stories I’ve gotten published or put up on the blog. From these ten words (or
less) she creates beautiful pieces of art. She has a passion for typefaces and a
keen eye for fresh design. If you like them, like the page, share it on your
wall, tell your friends. If you would like a print, please let either
her or me know by shooting us an e-mail. They are 6inx6in so keep that in mind. We are currently working out printing and pricing options. There will be a formal page on each of our websites once things are finalized. In the mean time check back often for more updates on the project. Thank you for your support. </div>
MarkusIronwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12495185646934039112noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-30105607010843651762012-11-06T13:16:00.000-06:002012-11-06T14:04:30.563-06:00Cloud Atlas Review: Time for Love<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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*audio recording here* </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every November 5<sup>th</sup> I start off with the intention
of watching V for Vendetta. I’ve seen it maybe a dozen times and it never gets
old. Perhaps that’s because the films central message is that ideas can never
die. That’s a powerful message for sure. It’s true and harsh and beautiful. But
I think I might have found a movie for November 6<sup>th</sup>: Cloud Atlas. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I went to the theater last night with my dearest friend <a href="http://cargocollective.com/kaileymodesign/about-me">Kailey Mo Becker</a>.
I hadn’t seen her in almost 9 months and it was so wonderful to see her again. Once
the movie started it took me a while to figure out what was going on exactly,
in fact it took most of the 2 hours and 50 minutes. There are several main plot
lines spanning four hundred years of history, many of them overlapping. But it was
fun trying to fit all the shifting pieces of the puzzle around and put them
together. This movie definitely requires you to use your brain, and for that I
am glad. During the first half I was attempting to find the plot line for each
of the stories while trying to figured out how they are all connected through
time; and ultimately through love. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The acting was superb. Halle Barry plays several prominent
roles as is completely redeemed for that whole Cat Woman thing. Tom Hanks (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Castway, Lost in Translation, Larry Crowne</i>)
stars in just as many roles and displays a wide array of talents as an actor. Timothy Broadbent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Mulan Rouge, Harry
Potter</i>), Jim Sturgess (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Across the
Universe), </i>Ben Whishaw (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Skyfall), </i>and
the lovely and powerful Susan Sarandon (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Alien, Avatar, Political Animals) </i>all performed so well in there many
roles. It was a wonderful experience to see all these amazing actors play so
many uniquely different roles throughout the various plot lines. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is sort of serendipitous that I had a conversation with
my parents the other night about reincarnation. My stance is (was?) that it
really doesn’t matter. Past lives, eh, you can make that stuff up. You know how
it ended. But if you look at the cyclical nature of things i.e. the water
cycle, the carbon cycle, bird and fish migrations, the turning of the seasons –that
sort of thing- then yes, I’m pretty sure we, our souls if you will, go through
some sort of recycling/reincarnation thing. And that’s cool but there isn’t
much I can do with a past life. I’m here now, doing my work, living this life. I
have different objectives than I did in a previous life, different cells,
different genetics, and different experiences. The only thing that truly matters
in being the best person I can be today. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what I loved what most about Cloud Atlas was this idea
that those whom we love and those who we hurt get carried with us throughout
our lives. Our circumstances change. The time we live in today is different.
The technology advances but the essence, the souls of those we impact, get
carried with us through time and space. It’s beautiful really. If not real than
profoundly poetic to the point that its message can only aid us in our
understanding of how we relate to each other. I’d like to think of the people
who I’ve met in my 23 years of (this?) life that as people whom I’ve met before
(maybe this is why I say “See you later” instead of “Good-bye”). Maybe my best
friends were past lovers. Maybe they were family members who I had a grudge
against. Bullies I elementary school were once co-workers or bosses. Friends of
today and tomorrow might be my brothers and sisters in some distant future. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“From womb to tomb, our lives are not our own. We are bound
to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our
future.” Sonmi-451.<br />
-David Mitchell, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cloud Atlas</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s nice to think that with all the chaos life can bring
and all the transformations around us (environmental, political, economic,
temporal and special) that there is a tethering –a bond of love -that we carry with
us as we live and move and have our being. That no matter what happens after we
pass over, if this reincarnation thing is true, if we get recycled and get to experience
the joys and sorrows of an earthly existence once again, that we are still
bound to one another indefinitely. In love, in pain, through it all, we will
find each other time and time again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is most profoundly felt when Sonmi-451 (Donna Bea) is
being interviewed by the Archivist, played by James D'Arcy (<i>An American Haunting, Master and Commander</i>)<i> t</i>owards the end of the film. This is when all
these plot lines and all the threads from all the different stories finally
come together, Sonmi-451 is asked if she fell in love with Hae-Joo Chang (Jim
Stuggess). She says she is still in love with him, would always love him. We
are shown their love does not transcend time but flows through it, with it. We
see every incarnation of their love through time. It was beautiful and lovely
and yes, I cried a little. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I think the lesson her is be kind to one another. Love
one another unconditionally. Freed or enslaved. Love with all the open space a
heart can have, which is, as big as whole of time. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-22448671524169390812012-10-30T20:03:00.000-05:002012-10-30T20:03:08.975-05:00Submissions, Subscriptions, and News<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hey all you lovely readers and friends,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So it’s a shorter blog post this week. I’ve been
really busy trying to edit a piece for an open submission that is due on November
1<sup>st</sup>. I found out about it less than two weeks ago and I’ve been struggling
with it ever since then. I literally said today “I want to rewrite the whole
thing”. I’m kind of serious about it. If I stayed up all night I could really
make something really cool out of it but that just comes with working on one’s
own voice. Wish me luck throughout the week on doing some good editing and on
getting it published. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In recent news I shipped off this moon’s Lunacy Project
out on Friday so if you subscribed that should have arrived at your doorstep
yesterday or today! Enjoy. Tell your friends and<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/charlesjosephgrabuski/the-lunacy-project">
sign up for this next month</a>. I’ve started the first staged of the next
story and I’m really excited for this one. It’s definitely different than last
months. I’m working on my style and how to frame the plot and I’m really happy
with the way it’s evolving. The next month’s story will go out on November 26<sup>th</sup>
so you do have some time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In other news I will be headed back the twin cities
at the end of this week. For all my cities people, hit me up, I’m sure I’ll be
sticking around for a while. But I still have to get through this week; lots of
packing and cleaning up left to do. Tomorrow is my last day in Grand Forks.
Thank you everyone at Amazing Grains for making me feel so welcome when I came
into the co-op on Wednesdays. You are all lovely, beautiful, and amazing
individuals. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I will write about my time here at the farm but I
need to get back to editing and hand wringing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wish me luck and safe travels in the days to come; looking
forward to seeing all my Twins Cities folk soon.</span></div>
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<![endif]-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-42801210548405997822012-10-16T08:10:00.001-05:002012-10-16T08:12:10.685-05:00The Lunacy Project<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m so excited to be able to bring this to all you
wonderful people. As some of you may know, I’ve been working on this project
for a while now. Well today is the day I launch what I’m calling <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/charlesjosephgrabuski/the-lunacy-project" target="_blank">The Lunacy Project.</a> This is a crowd sourcing opportunity to bring you, dear readers, my
work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m continuing to submit work to magazines,
on-line and other wise, and other publishers but in the mean time I would like
to give you a chance to read original works approximately once a month. Every lunar cycle you will receive a piece of short fiction no less than
fifteen hundred words in length; some months will be significantly longer. Each
full moon you will find a new story in your in-box or your mail box.
Subscribers are encouraged to send inspirations, setting ideas, and character
descriptions if they so choose to. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
Email subscriptions will be sent as a pdf. <br />
<br />
Snail mail subscriptions will be sent a few days before the full moon to ensure
you will receive it at approximately the same time as the e-mail subscribers.
Depending on the speed of the mail, you might even get it before the full moon.
These will be printed on high-quality paper, signed, and sealed with wax. This is by far the more impressive and amusing
option. <br />
<br />
Subscribe at least five days before the full moon in order to receive that
cycles story. To make this happen I’m asking for $5.00 for paper subscriptions
and $3.00 for the pdf. A full year’s worth of stories –there are about thirteen
full moons a year—is $50.00 for paper and $30.00 for the pdf. If you are an
e-mail subscriber and wish to get a hard copy of that cycle’s story, I ask for
$3.00 to cover paper, wax, and shipping costs. Feel free to e-mail me at <a href="mailto:grabu004@gmail.com">grabu004@gmail.com</a>
for more information. <br />
<br />
Thank you so much for indulging me in this quest. Your participation is greatly
appreciated and I’m delighted to be able to make this a reality. If you should chose to sign up now, the first story goes out on the October 29th. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/charlesjosephgrabuski/the-lunacy-project" target="_blank">Follow this link to go to the projects main page. </a> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-39464574976058305862012-10-09T19:34:00.001-05:002012-10-09T19:39:02.898-05:00Chicken Harvest<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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talk about my weekend using two different terms; harvesting being the first and
killing being the other. Both are correct and can be used interchangeably
depending on the context. You can say I killed roughly fifty some chickens. You
can also say I harvested fifty some chickens. Both are true. Either way, there are now fifty
some chickens, drained of blood, plucked, beheaded, and eviscerated, in the
walk in cooler.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I came
to farm Saturday morning knowing this is what I would be doing and really I
didn’t have any qualms with any of it. I’ve never killed an animal before save
for the thousands of misquotes, flies, other bugs, and a few random animals
whose lives I took with the wheels of a car. It was interesting to puncture the
neck and feel the life literally draining out of the chicken. Sometimes they
twitched and flailed about. Sometimes they flopped out of the cones and I had
to put them back in before they stumbled away. Sometimes they crowed or
squawked while I opened up they necks. Mostly they just stared wide eyed at
nothing in particular until their lids close and their body went limp.Flipping the chickens upside down causes their blood to flow into their heads and it kind of stuns them making the blood letting one of the best ways to harvest. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I didn’t
have any problems or reservations on being the one who did most of the killing.
This was a choice I made and really it wasn’t that hard of one. Chickens are
pretty dumb animals. They’re instincts are pretty simple. Eat, peck, and run
away from anything bigger than themselves is about all they can manage. Yes
they should have good food, plenty of room to run around and starch about. They
should be warm in the winter and cool in the summer and when harvest day comes;
their deaths should be relatively quick. It is important to have a deft hand
and a sharp knife. Other than that, there isn’t much to consider. Our chickens
lives contained all of these elements and there for I am proud and excited to
eat them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Processing
a chicken from oblivious bird to what you would find at the supermarket is
pretty easy. They are hung upside down in a cone and their neck arteries are
cut. After the blood is drained they are dead. The next step is to dunk them in
160° water for about 30 seconds or so. This makes removing their feather much
easier. Even still sometimes their wing feathers can be a pain in the ass to
pull out. Plucking is tedious and two people per chicken makes the whole things
go much faster. Then comes the evisceration. Many cuts are made and I really
didn’t catch the whole process cause I was mainly killing and plucking. After
the guts come out, you can clean the gizzard if you want. I haven’t eaten one
but I heard they’re crunchy. I’ll stick with using them in stocks and gravy. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I named
one of the chickens; which I know isn’t good. It can cause attachment. While cutting open his arteries he kicked me in the face causing my
glasses to fly off. He caught me on my left eye and I was worried that he’d cut
me. It didn’t leave anything but a scratch but it did hurt. I wanted to feel malice but he was only trying to stay alive. I didn’t want him to suffer during
the dying process but I had clearly hit a nerve. In the end I named him Soup and he is
currently in my fridge waiting to be roasted and turned into stock. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Speaking
of stock; I now have several pounds of chicken feet as well. I’m going to turn them into a rich, buttery
broth. The idea of chicken feet stock might sound icky and gross but the process involves removing the skin of the feet, cleaning/scrubbing them thoroughly, and cutting way any scabby and rough parts. It makes me happy that I can use most everything from the chicken. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I’m not
going to go into all the vegetarian/vegan/carnivore/omnivore debate talk here.
I just don’t have time nor the energy for that it. Call me a killer if you
want. It’s true. I harvested some chickens. I will raise and harvest more. I want to raise my
own goats and hopefully a pig or two as well. I will kill/harvest them as
well. This way I can live more sustainably and still eat meat, which I consider
vital to my own survival. I want to have a relationship with the food I eat, wither that's the onions and chard or the chickens and pig. For you it might be different and that’s okay. I’m
not here to yuck your yum. If you want come visit me on harvest day; that would
be great. It takes a while and many hands are needed. The more the merrier.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Pictures coming soon. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Shelly, MN 56581, USA47.4583333 -96.820277847.4529653 -96.8301483 47.4637013 -96.8104073tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-39086541212732276502012-10-02T22:26:00.002-05:002012-10-02T22:29:06.308-05:00After the Autumnal Equinox Hello all you beautiful people.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
So I'm going to apologize for being so distant these last few
months. The farm has been quite crazy this year and as it was I did not write nearly as much as I would have liked to this summer. The energy for creative writing
was just not there. The inspiration was sporadic and the ideas seamed lack luster.
What I have written isn’t that good in my opinion and needs a lot work before I
submit it to publishers and/or post it to the blog. I have an idea for a novel
at the moment and I’m working making the plot all come together. I’ve tried
scaling it back to be novelette or novella but each time I try to do so it
wants to get bigger and longer. In short it is a work in progress. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other ideas come and go like clouds. Like the clouds this
summer, these literary clouds rarely –if ever—produced rain. I have several
documents with half formed ideas, stories that go nowhere, so many characters
and settings that are dead ends… for now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The farm work is slowly coming to an end for year I’m
preparing to move on with my life. I’m planning on moving back to Duluth,
finding a paying job, becoming a mentor, and continuing to work on my writing.
There are many steps to this process and I hope you will be a part of them in one
way or another.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The muse is stirring again. I’m finding more energy for
writing after work. The story ideas feel better and come out sounding more put
together, and for that I am thankful. I’m formulating a project that will
hopefully be a step forward in my writing career and you –yes you dear reader--
can be a part of it too. More on this in the near future so stay tuned.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next few months will be a little hectic for me but I’m
excited to grow and see where the threads of fate lead. Where ever I end up,
and for whatever period of time, I promise to feed those creative fires more,
to make them a more prominent part of my life, and to deliver beautiful
stories. </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Shelly, MN 56581, USA47.4583333 -96.820277847.4529653 -96.8301483 47.4637013 -96.8104073tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-64682333584322048462012-07-28T21:35:00.001-05:002012-07-28T21:36:48.621-05:00Dancing Together<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you dance with someone<br />
you never dance poorly<br />
To a song you both know every word of</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
or stumble over lyrics <br />
You take a part of them
with you<br />
where ever you may roam<br />
across dusty roads and city streets<br />
Oh yes, you’ll forget the lyrics <br />
and the tune<br />
But you’ll always remember <br />
the way you held hands<br />
or how they held your back<br />
time and time again</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and that is called love </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-1834987841901526942012-06-03T12:18:00.004-05:002012-06-03T12:19:27.538-05:00All was not well in fairyland<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are now well into spring and nearly everything has been
planted out; though tomatoes and winter squash still have yet to be put in. We
haven’t had too much rain which is good for getting things into the ground and
bad for seedling that have already been planted. Hopefully it will come with
some regularity in the coming months but that’s like asking a bee to fly in a straight
line so it’s best not to think about it too much. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the days are long and the sun is hot and I’m in so much
debt and by the time I get home I just don’t have the energy to sit down and
pump out 500 words. I don’t know if this will change when the work schedule
will have the regularity of harvesting and weeding and less planting. I hope it
will. The other interns are great but they are bringing up some issues I have
already dealt with and assumed to be a normal part of life here at Red Goose
Gardens. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve called the farm Fariyland on more than one occasion. Life
here seems so unreal and so different from college or life in Lakeville. The work
is hard and tasks can seem insurmountable. But watching seedlings growing in
bushes so large and full of fruit can see like magic. The gods bless us with so
much summer squash we are literally brought to our knees in their service every
day for a good six weeks. An agrarian lifestyle is much like a fairy tale for a
suburban kid and though I have lived and worked on this farm for three years
now, the abundance of good things the earth gives us still captures my
imagination. Maybe fairies really are living in that space off woods between
county road 3 and the land in which we work. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So here I am. The world is different this year. It’s not all
bad. There are new problems to deal with. I will do my best to try and keep
writing. This is a time of transition. Spring is becoming summer. I have new
roles and responsibilities on the farm. I’m trying to figure out what kind of
adult I am going to be. I am no longer a college student but still feel like I
am. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All is not well in Fairyland but even in the most confusing
times I still have my friends, the chickens, the growing vegetation, and maybe
a fairy or two. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1503606821131867928.post-24231152315516465532012-05-28T20:00:00.003-05:002012-05-28T20:05:04.982-05:00A Forest of Courage in print... or so to speak et alt<span style="font-family: times new roman,serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My new piece,<i> <a href="http://www.withpaintedwords.com/view_submission.php?news_id=489" rel="nofollow">A Forest of Courage</a></i></span>,<i> </i><span style="font-size: medium;">is featured in the May 2012 edition of <a href="http://www.withpaintedwords.com/home.php" rel="nofollow">With Painted Words</a>.
It's short, less an 1,000 words, so check it out. With Painted Words
was the first magazine to publish my work and I am so grateful to them
for choosing another of my short stories. Support them and their
contributors and supports (i.e. Pill Hill Press i.e. the people who published my story <i>The Illumination of Queen Bees</i>) with moneys or words of
encouragement. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman,serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">P.S. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1617061859/ref=kinw_rke_tl_1" target="_blank">BUGS!</a> (the anthology where you may find <i>The Illumination of Queen Bees) </i>I've been told will be available for kindle/nook/e-readers someday. I thought that it would be available soon after its release but that seems not to be the case. If you don't want to buy a hard copy, you can help all of us contributors by easily clicking on the "Tell the Publisher" button on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1617061859/ref=kinw_rke_tl_1" target="_blank">this page</a>. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman,serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">P.S.S. It is summer once again and I be working hard at <a href="http://www.redgoosegardens.com/" target="_blank">Red Goose Gardens</a>. This also means I will be updating the blog more often then... never... which has been the trend. So add me to your RSS feed. I'll be posting short segments of thing I will be submitting, the little bits of imaginative non-sense that form during my long hours in the fields, and general updates on what's going on I my life. Check back often for a little bit of everything. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0