tis the season...

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Not what I was hoping to find, but still...

Beltane
Jethro Tull, Songs From The Wood (Chrysalis Records - 1977)
Have you ever stood in the April wood and called the new year in?
While the phantoms of three thousand years fly as the dead leaves spin?
There's a snap in the grass behind your feet and a tap upon your shoulder.
And the thin wind crawls along your neck it's just the old gods getting older.
And the kestral drops like a fall of shot and the red cloud hanging high
come a Beltane.

Have you ever loved a lover of the old elastic truth?
And doted on the daughter in the ministry of youth?
Thrust your head between the breasts of the fertile innocent.
And taken up the cause of love, for the sake of argument.
Or while the kisses drop like a fall of shot from soft lips in the rain
come a Beltane.

Happy old new year to you and yours.
The sun's up for one more day, to be sure.
Play it out gladly, for your card's marked again.
Have you walked around your parks and towns so knife-edged orderly?
While the fires are burned on the hills upturned in far-off wild country.
And felt the chill on your window-sill as the green man comes around.
With his walking cane of sweet hazel brings it crashing down.
Sends your knuckles white as the thin stick bites. Well, it's just your groaning pains.

Come a Beltane. Come a Beltane.
Come a Beltane. Come a Beltane.
Come a Beltane. Come a Beltane.
Come a Beltane. Come a Beltane.

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Happy Republic Day!

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Happy Republic Day to all my friends and readers in India. I nearly forgot about this auspicious day until I was reminded of it by a post at MagicEye's Mumbai Daily Photo. The Indian Constitution, which finalized the transition from British rule was adopted 26 January 1950. For more, click on the flag to go to the Wiki article.

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Thematic Photographic 82: "2009 - The Year that Was" v.6.0 - Grief and Loss, Domestic Violence Awareness Month and City Plaza

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"Wesley Long"
Greensboro, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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"Speaking Without Tongues"
Durham, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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"City Plaza"
Raleigh, NC - December 2009 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Written Inc.

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The final quarter and change of 2009 was a tough time for a lot of people. Thematic Photographic's progenitor Carmi lost his father suddenly in September, a blow that staggered him and his family. Around that same time the Mimi, Queen of Memes and Peace Globes was struggling with watching her own father battle the illness that gripped him to the last. I couldn't make a trip to Ontario to visit with the Levy family, much as I would have liked to. But Mimi is (more or less) local, and I spent an afternoon with her at Wesley Long Hospital where I got this shot of an empty waiting room. Loss is an unfortunate part of life as we know it, but as a very wise blogger Akelamalu once wrote, "one's life, no matter how brief, is never wasted if we remember". And so it's in remembrance not only of these two, but of all the others we lost during 2009 that I present this photo.

October also brought another kind of remembrance with it, a remembrance of those who struggle with - and sometimes perish in - the grip of domestic violence. If you were reading this blog at pretty much any time during the month of October, you know (if you didn't know before) that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. You're also doubtless aware of the blog project I've gotten involved in with Maggie Dammit known as Violence UnSilenced. But during October, I was privileged to witness and record a couple of events above and beyond that work. The first was a silent march in downtown Raleigh in memory of Jammie Street, a murdered mother of three who was allegedly shot to death by her estranged boyfriend. As powerful as that event was, however, it had nothing on the play "Speaking Without Tongues" a play by and for survivors produced by the Durham-based Hidden Voices. I was able to document both of these events for you here, and it's fitting to revisit them as part of a "Year in Review" series, because they certainly both impacted me deeply.

But not all of the latter days of 2009 were so grim. the Powers That Be of my fair city seem to think that we need strive to be on par with other major urban centers -- specifically New York City. and it's not that I object to urban renewal as a concept, or even that I object to the city's efforts to clean up the city core. I think these are laudable efforts on a lot of levels, most notably in containing urban sprawl. But in the process of "going vertical" I think perhaps the mayor and the city council are taking their eyes off the ball sometimes. Mr. Mayor, distinguished council members, honored guests: I submit to you that there is and ever shall be but one New York City, and it is neither necessary nor advisable to try to create another one here in our hometown. Growth, when it is properly managed, is good. But let's grow the things that make Raleigh what it is, not try to mutate it into something it isn't. Okay, soapbox mode is now off. I've shown you the area of Fayetteville Street where the "old" Civic Center used to be (if anything built 30 years ago can be called "old") and I've recently learned a couple of additional things about it. First, it has a real official name: "City Plaza". I"m going to go out on a limb and speculate that this is an extension of the naming convention that gave us "City Market". And in a recent My World Tuesday I touched on one of the elements of "Winterfest" -- the outdoor skating rink you don't see in this photo. That rink opened on the first night of Winterfest 2009 (December 4) in an "opening ceremony" that culminated with the lighting of this rather substantial Christmas tree. I forget now exactly how tall it is, but I do remember hearing that it held 10,000 lights -- over a mile's worth. I just hope they're the energy efficient LED variety, because I don't even like to think about the amount of electricity required to keep that outdoor rink frozen in this climate.

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Happy Kwanzaa

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Often misunderstood, and more frequently simply not understood at all, Kwanzaa is a cultural rather than a religious holiday (the kind Bill O'Reilly would hate). Established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor at Cal State Long Beach, the name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning first fruits of the harvest. Its early history is somewhat controversial in certain circles, as it was rooted in the black nationalist movement of the 1960's and much of the doctrine surrounding it was considered "inflammatory" by many. But as it gained mainstream acceptance Dr. Karenga dialed back on the more militant aspects of the celebration. Similar to the menorah in construction if not symbolism, the seven candles in the kinara represent the seven principles of Kwanzaa: Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. If you're interested in learning more, there is actually an Official Website specifically for the holiday with all of the explanations you could ask for. I know virtually nothing more about it than what I've written here, but if you're celebrating, then welcome, and a Happy Kwanzaa to you.

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Happy... Boxing Day?

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Okay, so for those of us living in (most parts of) the US, "Boxing Day" is pretty much a mystery. For a lot of the rest of the world, it's an official holiday. The origins of this observance are pretty murky. There's some speculation that the beginnings date back to the late Roman/early Christian era, when boxes earmarked for special offerings for the Feast of St. Stephen would turn up outside churches on the day of Stephenmas. (Little lesson I picked up somewhere along the way: The "mas" suffix indicates the feast day of a saint or other celebrated figure -- or deity in the case of Christmas -- by the way.) The European version of the holiday seems to have started in the Middle Ages, and is probably where the tradition as we know it began though. Boxing Day -- the public holiday (or "bank holiday" as they call it in some places) has been segregated from St. Stephen's Day which always falls on December 26. Boxing Day observances vary from country to counntry, but generally speaking fall either on the 26th or the nearest Monday or Tuesday following. (No wonder we don't recognize it here in the States. It's way too complicated for us.)

What doesn't change by jurisdiction is the idea behind the holiday. The specifics may vary, but in general Boxing Day is about taking care of the less fortunate. Not necessarily the huddled masses, but those less well off than ourselves. (I have to wonder why a special day has to be set aside for such, and whether such an observance would even be needed if we looked out for each other a little better, but if this is what it takes...

But it is what it is, and it's a tradition that's endured for centuries. So Happy Boxing Day if you're in one of the multitude of countries that give you an extra day off for it. I guess you'll get... Monday off this year. I think. And if you live here in the States, well... you probably have today off anyway. So make up your own Boxing Day tradition. We can do that, right?

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Merry Christmas to All

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December, it seems, is sort of the Jerusalem of the calendar. Everybody lays claim to it, nobody wants to acknowledge the claims of others to it. We could share it. It's a long month. But it seems we'd prefer to fight over it. Don't believe me? Meet someone for the first time and say "Happy Holidays" just to cover all your bases.

I wasn't sure how to go about choosing a photo for this post. Do I go for a "purist" approach, leaving out all but the Christian aspects of the holiday? Or just brave the wrath of the Pagans and Jehovah Witnesses (and possibly some other Christian denominations, but I know for sure about that one) and go for the "traditional" (read "Norman Rockwell") approach?

And then, just last night, while Tonka and I were prowling the city looking for night shots, I spotted this house not more than a mile or so from my own. I don't know who lives here, probably won't ever know because I only remember the general location and not the specific street. And originally I just took the shot because it was there, and it was one of the less over-the-top displays we saw. Or so I thought at the time.

Truth is, there's something welcoming about this image. Maybe it's the porch lights or the windowed front door. Maybe it's something else that I haven't figured out yet. But in clicking through the images from this expedition, this one asserted itself as the one to use for this post. Because it's about welcoming, sheltering, bringing people together. And isn't that the point? That's been my point in doing this series. To hopefully make all who visit here welcome.

This time of year you get to hear a lot about what people believe, about what the season means to them. For me, it's not so much what you believe. It's that you believe. Whether that belief is like mine or not. So to all who celebrate Christmas (whatever way or time of the year you do it), I hope this one finds you in peace and good health.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

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Santagate! Is the jolly fat man actually a Communist sympathizer?

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Fox News File Photo
Buenos Aires, Argentina 1950

A firestorm of controversy has erupted around one of the world's most storied and celebrated figures recently. Charges of everything from burglary to a Communist plot to undermine the US government have been leveled at Santa Claus by noted figures in the conservative media.

Leading the charge was Fox News commentator Glenn Beck who stopped just short of calling St. Nick a fugitive from justice. "Here's this fat guy crawling down people's chimneys in the middle of the night. That's breaking and entering! If I crawled down your chimney in the middle of the night I'd be arrested. It's a crime and it should be punished." Beck was further disturbed by allegations that Santa, whom he believes to actually be the Argentine Communist revolutionary Nikolas Klaus (pictured). "This is a guy who's been responsible for the collapse of who knows how many governments over the years, including the Peron regime in Argentina back in the 50's. And he's not stopping there, oh no. You watch, watch and see how this so called 'Santa Claus' rips apart the very fabric of America with his Communist 'spread-the-wealth' movement."

The theme of economic ruin brought about by freely-given gifts at the holidays was echoed by Former CNN business analyst Lou Dobbs who said Monday, "They're flooding the marketplace with cheaply made toys that they give away for free. It's ruinous to the American economy. Look at the par value of companies like Mattel and Toys 'R' Us, for example, and see what's happening there." Dobbs went on to add that he believed there to be a national security threat from the Jolly Old Elf, who routinely enters the country without passing through customs. "He's entering the country illegally, crossing sovereign borders without any kind of documentation. Of course, you won't see the Obama administration do anything about it because they're in the same socialist political bed."

Neo-conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh had this to say on the matter. "So a guy in a red suit can just go where he wants, when he wants and give stuff away for free to who he wants, is that it? Am I the only one who sees how crazy that is? And Americans are buying into this scheme. They're drinking the Kool-Aid and it's up to people like me to stop them." Limbaugh expressed "suspicion" of the now-legendary Santa, citing the long lines at every shopping mall in the nation and the "frightening expressions" on the faces of Santa supporters at these gatherings.

Columnist and author Ann Coulter also weighed in offering a potential solution, "If we just dropped a couple of 50-megaton nukes on the North Pole we'd solve this whole problem. And as a bonus we'd get to find out once and for all if this whole 'Oh the polar ice caps are melting' business is actually a threat or not. It's a win-win."

Ex-Governor of Alaska and 2012 presidential hopeful Sarah Palin considers herself close to the source. "I can see the North Pole from my house, and just look at the guy. He's dressed head to foot in red. And it's not just that he's a fashion victim, he's identifying himself as a Communist with this getup. When you've been eyeballing the Russians for as long as I have, you can spot a Commie a mile off, you betcha."

Fox's Bill O'Reilly declined to comment.

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Thursday Challenge #54: Light

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"Christmas Tree at the State Capitol"
Raleigh, NC - December 2008 (Click to embiggen)
Next Week's Challenge: "Open Theme (2 weeks)"

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Gift Rap

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There's one thing I've always hated about the holiday season. It isn't the crowds or the traffic or the insanity at the mall or the cost, or even the annual what-do-I-get-my-brother-this-year dilemma.

It's the wrapping.

I hate it.

And if you think about it, just how smart do you have to be to figure out that the gift you spent 20 minutes turning into a beautiful, tempting package is going to be denuded in about 2.4 seconds when the recipient gets it. When's the last time you heard someone say, "Oh my! This wrapping is just too beautiful to rip off the package. I'll just wonder what's inside!"? Never that's when.

Give me a break, yeah? I mean think about it. Why do you suppose Santa opts for stockings? Huh? Because he's smarter than we are that's why!

And yet, year after year we go through the same ordeal. So as a public service I submit to you my...

Lessons in Gift Wrapping

1. Scotch Magic Tape got its name for a good reason. It disappears every time you put it down. And the amount of time required for it to reappear is directly proportional to the number of corners you are attempting to hold together while you look for it.

2. The scissors are in one of two places (1) under your butt (which has long since gone to sleep from sitting on the floor for hours), or (2) buried in the pile of scraps of wrapping paper you're saving to wrap something small.

3. Don't save scraps of wrapping paper to wrap something small. Nothing is that small.

4. The formula for calculating how much gift wrap is needed to wrap a given package follows the form:

Paper Needed = Paper Available - 1/2 inch.

5. The time required to unwrap a gift can be calculated as the reciprocal of the next shorter unit of time. e.g. a 17-minute wrap job, can be negated in 1/17 second.

6. Ribbon of all kinds^* is either a Communist plot or the work of the devil. Which one depends largely on political party affiliation. Or so I'm told.

7. Stores that offer free gift-wrapping should be nominated for a Nobel Prize.

8. Stores that charge for gift wrapping should be stormed like the Bastille and their owners publicly pilloried and flogged.

9. The photographs you see in magazines of Christmas trees surrounded by beautifully wrapped packages are clever forgeries. Probably cooked up by the same people that can make a McDonalds hamburger look appetizing.

10. Gift Bags Rule!

Finally: If by some unfortunate circumstance you cannot avoid wrapping, then be absolutely certain to tag your gifts immediately. This will save you the embarrassment of accidentally giving the arrest-me-red lace teddy to your grandfather and the arrest-me-red plaid golf pants to your girlfriend.

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^*This clause was updated in 2004 to include any type of string used as a replacement for ribbon. No, it does not make it easier.

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Holiday Tip: Avoiding Procrastination-Induced Stress Syndrome

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LatelyI've been reading a lot of posts of the weeping and gnashing of teeth variety about how the author has (once again) put off holiday preparations until the "last minute" and is now suffering Procrastination-Induced Stress Syndrome (PISS). All this suffering is needless, and could be avoided by simply making certain refinements to the day-to-day practice of the art of procrastination. Believe it or not, I found procrastination to be a highly effective holiday stress reliever back in the day. Oh sure, if I found something that was "perfect" early in the year, I'd go ahead and get it, but for most things I'd deliberately wait until the 22nd or 23rd. Then I'd take the day, and go do my shopping. How does this relieve the stress you ask? I knew you would. So I'll explain.

First, I never stressed over the shopping during the more insane part of the season because I knew in advance I was gonna wait. (Wait. Is it still procrastination if you plan it?) I didn't worry that I wasn't finished or that I needed to get to the House of Whatever before some self-imposed deadline or the world would end. I knew my shopping day was coming so I didn't worry. And breezed stress-free through the month when all around me were losing their effin' minds.

Second, when you wait until a couple of days before The Big Day, many of your more onerous shopping decisions are made for you. Colors? There's one. Sizes? One. Bargains? None. See? All those stress-inducing, agonizing decisions... made. Without me lifting a brain cell. What could be less stressful than that? And every once in a while, I'd stumble into The Desperate Retail Store worried that they were gonna wind up selling out to the Overstock Liquidators. In trying to be proactive and avoid this ignominy, they'd slash prices to the bone. That was always a bonus, and actually made the bane of shopping almost pleasurable. (Almost.) I was even known to occasionally display (gasp!) glee at such a find.

That was back before my boys were grown of course, when it was necessary to find the latest action figure or video game system. These days it's even easier. Cash is one-size-fits-all and always comes in their favorite color: green.

As for decorating, I found that a miniature tree with the ornaments glued in place cut that stress to just about zero. Pull it out of the box, fluff the branches a little and presto! Done. And after the holidays? Squeeze the branches back down, tuck it safely back in the box and the un-decorating is even easier.

See? It's not so bad procrastinating -- as long as you procrastinate enough! And if it doesn't come easily to you at first, just wait a while and it'll get easier.

Now wrapping everything? 'Nother story. Which I'll get to in another post. When I get around to it.

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Happy Yule

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The season of the Winter Solstice or Yule, celebrated by Earth-based religions the world over, is among the oldest (if not the oldest) traditions observed this time of year. Like most people raised in a Judeo-Christian environment probably are, I'm admittedly lean on any real knowledge of Pagan religions, so I'm pretty sure my illustration is horribly flawed (for one thing the angle of the sun in the background photo tells me we can't possibly be facing North) but I'm hoping my Pagan friends and visitors will see the intent and not the ignorance.

My hours of research on the topic have taught me a few things though. Yule begins with "Mother Night" the night of December 20th and continues for 12 days (sound familiar?) ending January 1. The Winter Solstice, around December 21, is the longest night of the year and it is then that the sun begins its journey back to Earth, bringing with it life-sustaining light and warmth. As in more "mainstream" religions, the victory of light over darkness is a central theme.

If you're so inclined, a good resource I found for information is Wychwood where I found this excerpt explaining the celebration in brief (used without permission, but hopefully with forgiveness).

Try to imagine yourself in a very cold climate, where the Winter nights are very long, indeed. Firewood and food are both becoming very scarce and you have begun to fear for your own survival. As you keep a lonely vigil through this, the Longest Night, you feel as though the Darkness has taken over the Earth and the Light will never come again. Imagine your joy at that first spark of light and your hopes that, someday soon, the snow will melt and you will be warm and well fed! This is the way our ancestors must have felt about this time of celebration.

The celebration of the Winter Solstice, as often as not referred to as Yule, is common to almost every culture. For this reason, although the Christian Church has long since adopted it as the birthdate of Jesus, it has retained more of the ancient Pagan tradition then any other holiday or festival. In early times, December 25th (the date now recognized as Christmas) was commemorated as the Birth of the Sun God, Mithra, and January 6 (Old Christmas) was a Dionysian festival. In Egypt, a celebration dedicated to Osiris was held at this time.

From: The Old Ways: Yule - by Doug and Sandy Kopf

For those of you celebrating this ancient holiday, Waes Hael (old Anglo-Saxon meaning, roughly "Be Well" and the origin of the word "wssail"). Peace is my wish for you in this and all seasons. Whatever holiday you observe (or don't), I hope the season is kind to you.

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Ruby Tuesday #68: "Tis The Season"

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"Fa-La-La-La Stuff"
Raleigh, NC - November 2009 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted at Work of the Poet

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Thematic Photographic 30: "Holiday" v.1.0 - Downtown Decor

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"Downtown Decor I"
Raleigh, NC - December 2008 (Click to embiggen)

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"Downtown Decor II"
Raleigh, NC - December 2008 (Click to embiggen)

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"Downtown Decor III"
Raleigh, NC - December 2008 (Click to embiggen)

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Carmi's done me a real solid with this theme, because frankly I wasn't sure what to do with all these Christmas light shots. I mean, it's not like I could use them for the Fourth of July or anything. But night shots this time of year sort of come with the decorations, and even though I try to keep seasonal shots to a minimum, there are always gonna be some. And what's the point of saving them for next year?

So here's a holiday trifecta of the lights and sights of downtown Raleigh.

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Monday 7/7: Miscellaneous Ramblings with Special Guest, Cleanup on Aisle 5

Friday, July 4th
I'm still catching up from the weekend, but as much as I've missed you guys I have to say it was nice to spend three full days completely disconnected from a computer. I haven't yet gone through all of the photos, but here are a few to start with.

"Rocket's Red Glare Atlantic Beach Style - Part I"
Atlantic Beach, NC - July 4 2008

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You might remember I said I was planning to take the Fireworks Cruise out of Beaufort. Well, to shorten the story a bit, we missed the boat. Those cruises fill up pretty quickly and we were late getting to the party so there weren't any seats left on board. (This was all part of a larger pattern of plans that were already rough to begin with basically disintegrating completely).
"Rocket's Red Glare Atlantic Beach Style - Part II"
Atlantic Beach, NC - July 4 2008

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Instead, we decided to take in the fireworks display at Atlantic Beach. This put us almost directly under one display -- which was pretty awe-inspiring in itself, but had a secondary bonus as well. From here we were we could see several other fireworks displays from other towns along the coastline. The second shot is actually of a rocket launched in (I think) Indian Beach or possibly Pine Knoll Shores, the next towns down the island. We could also see the ones from Morehead City and Beaufort on the mainland.

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Saturday, July 5th

"Kiting On The Beach"
Atlantic Beach/Pine Knoll Shores, NC - July 5 2008

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I've always been a big fan of mixing a little education in with the fun of a vacation, and this trip I got to learn about the science of kiting. Seriously. I haven't flown a kite (that I recall) since my childhood -- which as most of you realize is quite a while ago. In those days, you went to the dime store (yes, they were still called that then) and picked up something that looked like a piece cut from a plastic trash bag and put it together with a couple of pieces of wood. Tails were optional, and line was whatever string you could find to add to what was supplied in the kit. (Because they never, ever included enough string in the kit!) To be fair, the wind coming from offshore would probably wreck one of these ahem classic kites in a matter of minutes.

Not these from the kite store. These were made from heavy duty rip-stop nylon and framed with graphite or some other composite material similar to what's used in modern tent "poles". These kites could have been spec'ed by NASA. And they cost like it too. No 69-cent trash bag models here folks. These started at around $35 and went up to over $300. Yes I said three.hundred. We also picked up a clever device called a "sand anchor" which is in simplest terms resembles a diaper full of ... sand. The rig is a square piece of rip stop with nylon web straps crossing diagonally from corner to corner. The straps have loops sewn into the ends and the whole idea is to dig a hole in the sand, place the diaper in it and bury it. Then hook the four ends of the straps and the kite line together with a caribiner and the kite stays aloft but doesn't escape. And it works too. This guy stayed up until we reeled him in when we left. He'd probably still be flying if we'd left him there (as if!).

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"Crabby Patty's"
Havelock, NC - July 5 2008

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This sight spawned a "Stop the car! Turn around!" from my copilot. Apparently the nefarious Spongebob Squarepants frequents a shady establishment by the same name. Whether this restaurant gave the name to or took it from the cartoon I can't say. But apparently it's not the same place because there were no goofily clad talking sponges around as far as I could see.

"Crabby Patty's"
Havelock, NC - July 5 2008

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This is another view of Crabby Patty's, presumably a mural-sized portrait of Crabby herself.

In my next installment, I'll explain how the best laid plans are sometimes better when pitched cheerfully over the side. Stay tuned!Stumble This!