Happy Saint Andrew's Day

Image from a St. Andrew's Day Prayer Card

I have been away from SL for quite some time during this American holiday season - Thanksgiving. Real Life events and family have taken priority as they should. I would say that I have been missing interacting with many of you, and hope that you are well. I believe that my weeknights will be back to some sense of normalcy by tomorrow - if not tonight.

You might take note that I was in world for about 10 minutes yesterday afternoon and found that the first snow has fallen in Loch Avie. Many of the tress still have their colorful leaves, but the first hint at the winter to come has visited my home.

I am busily preparing for a number of events in SL (as posted previously) - happily so. But today, as most of the RL family has departed my typist's home, it is time to pause and think about the day.

I am Christian as most of you know (as is my typist) although I preserve several of the traditions of my Pagan ancestors. Today is a new year on the Christian calendar. A time for preparation. For waiting. This is the first Sunday of Advent. Songs fill my heart as I go about my preparations (especially in real life).

Today is also St. Andrew's Day and how appropriate that I would be singing as he is patron to singers (much like St. Cecilia). He is also patron of fishermen, gout, maidens, anglers, sore throats, and unmarried women.

He was the first apostle and went through life leading people to Jesus, both before and after the Crucifixion. Missionary in Asia Minor and Greece, and possibly areas in modern Russia and Poland. Martyred on an saltire (x-shaped) cross, he is said to have preached for two days from it.

Some peculiar marriage-related superstitions have attached themselves to Saint Andrew's feast day:

• An old German tradition says that single women who wish to marry should ask for Saint Andrew's help on the Eve of his feast, then sleep naked that night; they will see their future husbands in their dreams.

• Another says that young women should note the location of barking dogs on Saint Andrew's Eve: their future husbands will come from that direction.

• On the day after Andrew's feast, young people float cups in a tub; if a boy's and a girl's cup drift together and are intercepted by a cup inscribed "priest", it indicates marriage.

There are several explanations for why Andrew became the patron of Scotland and you will find that information in my post from last year written prior to my St. Andrew's Day celebration.

So cuddle up with your loved one by the fire, sip some whisky, and enjoy the warmth of the season upon us.

I will see you soon.

I Am Thankful

I am a fortunate woman. This I know for sure. I am thankful - more than can reasonably be expressed.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

AFTER APPLE PICKING

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree
Toward heaven still,
And there's a barrel that I didn't fill
Beside it, and there may be two or three
Apples I didn't pick upon some bough.
But I am done with apple-picking now.
Essence of winter sleep is on the night,
The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.
I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight
I got from looking through a pane of glass
I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough
And held against the world of hoary grass.
It melted, and I let it fall and break.
But I was well
Upon my way to sleep before it fell,
And I could tell
What form my dreaming was about to take.
Magnified apples appear and disappear,
Stem end and blossom end,
And every fleck of russet showing clear.
My instep arch not only keeps the ache,
It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round.
I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.

And I keep hearing from the cellar bin
The rumbling sound
Of load on load of apples coming in.
For I have had too much
Of apple-picking: I am overtired
Of the great harvest I myself desired.
There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch,
Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall.
For all
That struck the earth,
No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble,
Went surely to the cider-apple heap
As of no worth.
One can see what will trouble
This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is.
Were he not gone,
The woodchuck could say whether it's like his
Long sleep, as I describe its coming on,
Or just some human sleep.

Robert Frost

Tis the Season

...for Real Life to take over my event schedule.

Part of me is always a little saddened when I miss out on things in SL, particularly things such as The Grand Tour, which by all accounts has been a phenomenal success. Congratulations Miss Gray! Obviously I miss my friends and neighbors in the Metaverse most of all when I am away. The other part of me, however, always rejoices when wonderful, special events take place with friends and family in the realm of the flesh.

The next month is going to be terribly busy out here in the real, so I hope that you will indulge me as I write about some of those events in these pages as well. I expect that you will find me in and out of world most weeknights for a little while (save for when I have family visiting - oh like I do right now); however, most weekends are at least partially out.

I am going to jot an outline of my combine RL and SL commitments here - primarily for my own benefit as I, quite frankly, am having a little trouble making sure I don't miss things. Here goes:

Holiday Events through 12-24-08 (as known on this date)
Real Life events in this color
Second Life events in this color

• Family visiting for Thanksgiving: 11-20-08 through 12-1-08.
• Christmas Party hosted by us with Chef Pippa Calland: 12-6-08
• Cooking Class: 12-12-08
• Hubby's Work Holiday Party: 12-13-08
• Choral Cantata: 12-14-08
• Military Winter Holiday Celebration (Dining Out) hosted by Wrath Fleet at Artificial Isle: 12-14-08
• Story-Telling at the Anvil: 12-15-08
• 40th Birthday Party for a friend: 12-19-08
• Yule Celebration at Book End: 12-20-08
• Christmas Eve Services (several) 12-24-08

By the way, my typist was with her daughters and mother-in-law on a day trip to New York City yesterday. We spent some wonderful time in the city walking through Central Park and watching the ice skaters, horses and squirrels. Then after some hot chocolate, we made our way to FAO Schwartz where we spent a couple of hours looking and playing (including watching the giant piano being danced. Lunch was a quick one at TGI Friday's near our theatre. I took the group to The Little Mermaid, which was marvelously done. Costuming, sets, and music were fantastic! I would highly recommend it - particularly for families - but I think most would enjoy it. Ursula was played particularly well - as were Flotsam and Jetsam.
After the show, we made our way to Macy's (the kids' first taxi ride) where we shopped a little and grabbed a bite to eat at their Cellar Bar and Grill before hopping back to the bus for the trip home. All in all a really nice time.

Well that's it for now. Perhaps I'll make it into world in a little while. Perhaps not. But it is generally easier to blog or something similar when company is around. It is difficult to act and interact well when both worlds need high levels of attention, neh?

Much Love,
Eva

USS Loch Avie

It was a great party the other night! Many, many thanks go out to Iason Hassanov for his work on the build of the aircraft carrier. Thanks most certainly must also be sent to Otenth Paderborn who did a fantastic job with the playlists and requests as he DJ'd the event.

Mr. Iason Hassanov and Miss Hypatia Callisto

Now I have to grumble a bit. YouTube has taken down two (count them - two) versions of a short photo montage I made.
OK - the first time, I'll give you. I had decided to use Jump with My Baby by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I knew the risks. Even though my copy of this song is fully legal, I was not sure if they would allow use in this instance. I found out - they will not.
So then I used a Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters song that I found on archive.com which is supposed to be safe for podcast use. Apparently not.
And so version three was created with music from PodSafe. Not precisely what I was looking for, but it works.


So now I invite you to use your imagination: Picture Bob Hope and the rest of the crew standing on the stage as a young group of musicians joins them on the deck of the carrier and begins playing a peppy tune for the guys and dolls to dance to.

You, too, could be a Bombshell

In honor of the 1940s USO party in Loch Avie tonight. I give you >fanfare here<
Kamilah and Eva waiting on their close-ups. "Oh, Mr. DeMille. Mr. DeMille."

Watch out, boys.

Bombshell animation overrider may be found here on XStreet. For more poses and other animation packages please see Kamilah's fine blog.

See you all tonight!

OOC - Sometimes A Thought Hits You Out of the Blue

That happened today as I was driving home from work. What was that thought?

"Soliel Snook!! I forgot to thank Soliel!!"

Soliel - my most sincere thanks for your work on behalf of Caer Blanco and the People for Others charity events last month and this. Without you stepping in with such good grace and professionalism, we would really have been in a bind on a couple of event nights/afternoons.

You are a fantastic DJ and a fantastic person.

Thanks!

Evidence of Cat Command

as sent to me by Professor Adso Krogstad with the following note:

Your Grace,
We have obtained actual kinescopic evidence of a cat following specific orders from cat command to - and I quote - 'TAKE OUT THAT EVIL BEAST THAT HAS TAKEN UP RESIDENCE ON MY OWNER'S DESK. HISS!'

How this information may be used to further your efforts for a safe and secure Caledon, I leave to you. I, however, may need to perform extensive interviews and observations with the Kitty Girls of Caledon and surrounding environs in order to better inform the scientific community on such behaviors. Do you suppose Your Grace might assist in finding volunteers?

AK

*dies laughing* Happy Tuesday, all!