With this perfecting at 4:40 am, I did wake up at 5:00, but I think that had more to do with drinking three beers last night than with the aspect. I did do a lot of shopping, for me, assuming Mercury means commerce - E was coming to spend the night so I bought smoked salmon and scallion cream cheese for breakfast, Stilton cheese, Granny Smith apples and a wicked looking (and tasting) pepperoni and tomato bread stick from A&V for lunch, but I think the real Mars square Mercury was getting out the Mah Jong set in the evening and attempting to understand how to play.
I've had the set for at least 15 years, a "legacy" from two gay friends who died before the advent of AZT, so there's a bit of baggage attached. I opened the case once, saw how beautiful the tiles were but also how ridiculously complicated the rules were, shut it immediately and decided to sell it on eBay. As with most of the other things I've thought about selling on eBay, it's still here.
E's been playing Mah Jong on her computer for years and telling me how much fun it is, while I've rolled my eyes and thought well buster, you should see the real thing, but last night was obviously the time for the real thing. I had bought a book - not Mah Jong for Idiots, which probably does exist and would have been a better choice, but Mah Jong, Anyone? A Manual of Modern Play, which again, I had looked at once and put away.
We sat at the round table in the kitchen, each with a beer, mistake number one, no tablecloth, mistake number two, as the Sweet Pea immediately retreated under the bed because of the noise the tiles made, just when he was getting used to E, opened the case, oohed and aahed over how beautiful the tiles were, and E began to read from the book. We began by sorting out all the tiles, which took about an hour with most of the time taken up by trying to understand the rules about the flower tiles -
"The flower tiles (sometimes called seasons) consist of two sets of four tiles each, numbered one through four, with one set marked in one color, the other in another color." Try figuring THAT out when you're on your second beer, Two sets of four tiles EACH? Is that eight or sixteen? Numbered one through four? Is that each set? One marked in one color, the other in another color? One what? One set? How many? What color? By the time we'd groped our way through this, E continued to read and informed me "Some Mah Jong sets, however, contain one set of eight different flower tiles." Aaarrrggghhh! Is that what this set is? Is that why we can't figure it out? How do we know if these are different flowers or dragons or winds? No wonder the miserable nerdy teenager in Portnoy's Complaint hung himself in the shower with a note pinned to himself about his mother's next Mah Jong game if this is what he had to contend with while he was home.
By beer number three, there was much putting on of glasses and passing the book back and forth, reading instructions very slowly and hoping some glimmer of comprehension would jump into the other's brain and explain all, but when E got to "Flower tiles are not used in actual play, but represent a bonus to the holder, as will be explained in the discussion of the game," a great shout of frustration was heard over First Avenue, the Sweet Pea retreated even further under the bed and the Chinese Checkers came out. E won.
31 January, 2009
29 January, 2009
Mars to the Midheaven, Sun trine Uranus
The most I was able to do with this Mars transit was print out a copy of the latest play I wrote and start looking for theaters to send it to, pardon my grammar. And this morning, as it trined the Ascendant, I took myself off again for the 10:00 am line dancing class at Stanley Isaacs and discovered again that it had been cancelled. Is this Mercury retrograde in nine, as I attempt to pursue my higher education ha ha?
As far as public life goes, I spent a lot of time wandering around a Duane Reed looking for anti-fungal medication as I would appear to have contracted ringworm - more Uranus than I wanted, thanks very much, although it's a trine so maybe it won't last long. I noticed this little round red patch on my upper right arm last night and only this morning as I was making coffee did I remember Fluff, my beloved Fluff who ran away to join the circus this past spring in Silver. I got him as a kitten from the ASPCA in November 2006 and a couple of weeks after noticed a bare patch near his nose. It turned out that he already had ringworm when I adopted him - evidently quite a common thing with shelter animals - and for three months I fed him antibiotics until a culture proved negative.
I was told the ringworm spores would be difficult to get rid of, but I don't have any upholstered furniture, washed all the bedclothes etc. etc. as instructed and thought I had gotten off lightly. Can't find any astrological correlation for this one, except Mars was in Capricorn in February 2007, probably about the time Fluff's third culture came back negative. Talk about clutching at straws. Anyway, my Duane Reed hunt proved fruitless - everything was for athlete's foot - and mission of the day is a real pharmacy for Lotrimin. The Pea so far is symptom free.
As far as public life goes, I spent a lot of time wandering around a Duane Reed looking for anti-fungal medication as I would appear to have contracted ringworm - more Uranus than I wanted, thanks very much, although it's a trine so maybe it won't last long. I noticed this little round red patch on my upper right arm last night and only this morning as I was making coffee did I remember Fluff, my beloved Fluff who ran away to join the circus this past spring in Silver. I got him as a kitten from the ASPCA in November 2006 and a couple of weeks after noticed a bare patch near his nose. It turned out that he already had ringworm when I adopted him - evidently quite a common thing with shelter animals - and for three months I fed him antibiotics until a culture proved negative.
I was told the ringworm spores would be difficult to get rid of, but I don't have any upholstered furniture, washed all the bedclothes etc. etc. as instructed and thought I had gotten off lightly. Can't find any astrological correlation for this one, except Mars was in Capricorn in February 2007, probably about the time Fluff's third culture came back negative. Talk about clutching at straws. Anyway, my Duane Reed hunt proved fruitless - everything was for athlete's foot - and mission of the day is a real pharmacy for Lotrimin. The Pea so far is symptom free.
27 January, 2009
Solar Eclipse, Tenth House
Unless an eclipse occurs on or very near a symbol in your chart, my experience is it doesn't have a noticeable effect. (I base this wild generalization on the only eclipse I'm aware of that DID have a noticeable effect on my life - the Grand Cross eclipse in August 1999, in which Uranus was three degrees away from my natal Moon. I was freelancing as a proofreader at a big financial services firm when a Jamaican woman with dreadlocks dropped out of the sky to manage the proofreading department, which led to my going on staff, which led to me being at work on the 37th floor of Tower Two of the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001, which, cutting to the chase, led to me owning (with Countrywide) a house in Silver City, NM, which will lead to who knows what.)
This morning's eclipse - one degree off opposing natal Pluto - took place in Aquarius in my tenth house of career, appropriately enough as I'm trying to think of ways to make money eventually and had signed myself up for Spanish classes, beginning tonight. They turned out to be held at a neighborhood house on the West Side providing low-cost education and support to new immigrants and anyone else needing same - Aquarius epitomized.
I had seriously considered signing up for the Intermediate classes, as I've taken beginning Spanish more times than I can count, and at one point, when I lived in LA and used it every day, came close to being fluent. In what quickly proved to be a blessing in disguise, Intermediate was full and there was no choice but to enroll in Beginners. As the usual laborious process of introducing ourselves unfolded - Me llamo Pamela y soy Inglesa in 25 stumbling variations - I told myself it would be very good for me to begin from the beginning again and started looking at the numbers, which have always defeated me, on the handout.
While I was trying to make myself distinquish between sesenta and setenta, I realized a man at the back of the room was going on and on and on in his introduction, with me understanding about one word in ten and wondering why he was in Beginners. As soon as he'd finished the man next to him got up and went on at even greater length, causing me to turn to the woman sitting next to me and whisper "What are they doing here?" "They're the professors" she whispered back, "explaining about the class." As I said, a blessing in disquise.
This morning's eclipse - one degree off opposing natal Pluto - took place in Aquarius in my tenth house of career, appropriately enough as I'm trying to think of ways to make money eventually and had signed myself up for Spanish classes, beginning tonight. They turned out to be held at a neighborhood house on the West Side providing low-cost education and support to new immigrants and anyone else needing same - Aquarius epitomized.
I had seriously considered signing up for the Intermediate classes, as I've taken beginning Spanish more times than I can count, and at one point, when I lived in LA and used it every day, came close to being fluent. In what quickly proved to be a blessing in disguise, Intermediate was full and there was no choice but to enroll in Beginners. As the usual laborious process of introducing ourselves unfolded - Me llamo Pamela y soy Inglesa in 25 stumbling variations - I told myself it would be very good for me to begin from the beginning again and started looking at the numbers, which have always defeated me, on the handout.
While I was trying to make myself distinquish between sesenta and setenta, I realized a man at the back of the room was going on and on and on in his introduction, with me understanding about one word in ten and wondering why he was in Beginners. As soon as he'd finished the man next to him got up and went on at even greater length, causing me to turn to the woman sitting next to me and whisper "What are they doing here?" "They're the professors" she whispered back, "explaining about the class." As I said, a blessing in disquise.
21 January, 2009
Mars Trine Jupiter
Today's happenings - beginning the process of taking out even more of what's left of my IRA money - are a direct result of Progressed Sun Square Jupiter, during which I spent, for me, astronomical amounts of money, or, to be more accurate, during which I charged, for me, astronomical amounts of money to my credit card.
First I spent $1,000 on a new air conditioner for the apartment, which was a very sensible expenditure as I spent the whole summer in New Mexico and wasn't even in New York to turn it on. Next was the wood clearing of the top three acres in Silver, which even with the New Mexico state government allowance cost me $2,000. Looking on the bright side, that did get me three acres of parkland, a cord of firewood and kindling for ever, but then there was the $1,000 on the Volvo, a couple of other $1,000 outlays that I can't even remember (!) but which were, like the Volvo, actually necessary, and the culmination was having central heating installed in the house for $3,500, which I was able to spread out over three credit card payments.
Installments would be a better word, as I'm now scrambling around trying to figure out which would be the *best* assets to take out of my fast vanishing IRA so I can begin to pay the credit card down. And lest anyone think I am complaining and ungrateful, I am definitely aware that this is what AAers call a "quality problem" and I am truly thankful that I have a IRA, diminished though it is, to draw down. I think that's Jupiter.
First I spent $1,000 on a new air conditioner for the apartment, which was a very sensible expenditure as I spent the whole summer in New Mexico and wasn't even in New York to turn it on. Next was the wood clearing of the top three acres in Silver, which even with the New Mexico state government allowance cost me $2,000. Looking on the bright side, that did get me three acres of parkland, a cord of firewood and kindling for ever, but then there was the $1,000 on the Volvo, a couple of other $1,000 outlays that I can't even remember (!) but which were, like the Volvo, actually necessary, and the culmination was having central heating installed in the house for $3,500, which I was able to spread out over three credit card payments.
Installments would be a better word, as I'm now scrambling around trying to figure out which would be the *best* assets to take out of my fast vanishing IRA so I can begin to pay the credit card down. And lest anyone think I am complaining and ungrateful, I am definitely aware that this is what AAers call a "quality problem" and I am truly thankful that I have a IRA, diminished though it is, to draw down. I think that's Jupiter.
15 January, 2009
Sun Conjunct Midheaven
I'd never expect anything too spectacular for this, but I did manage to take myself off to Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center on 93rd Street where I'd found out online they offer line dancing classes once a week for free for seniors. When I was taking line dancing lessons at the Senior Center in Silver last summer, I had both Chiron and transiting north node to the moon in the 11th house, so there wasn't much effort involved, Still, it was more fun than I had had in a long time, and exercise on top of that, so I'd vowed to myself I'd at least try to track lessons down in New York.
The only lessons I could find were at Stanley Isaacs, but you had to register on Mondays or Tuesdays before you could take classes, so I went to see if I could do some kind of temporary registration and still take the Thursday line dancing class. Yes, I could, and got my pass, valid for two weeks but promising to go next Monday or Tuesday to register properly.
When I got home, I also managed to write a thank you letter to the Royal Court in London, thanking them (not sarcastically) for the well-considered and thought-out rejection letter they sent me last September, after reading the two 9/11-based plays I wrote. I've been thinking of responding ever since then, wondering if I *should* just leave it alone and not respond, wondering if I *should* tell them I'm writing a full length two-act set in England that stands not a chance of being produced here, if I *should* ask them to read it, just say I'm writing it and not ask them to read it, not even tell them I'm writing it and I'd like them to read it, etc, etc.
For once, I was fully aware of the aspect and able to work with it and write the letter, if that's the correct interpretation. Most of the time, I can be aware of the aspect because I've looked in the ephemeris and know it's happening but can only let it play itself out, like Venus square Uranus and getting two computers, or I can be aware of it and totally incapable of consciously taking advantage of it, if that's the right wording. Anyway, whatever, I'm all set to be able to go line dancing tomorrow and I've written something, however lame, to the Royal Court.
The only lessons I could find were at Stanley Isaacs, but you had to register on Mondays or Tuesdays before you could take classes, so I went to see if I could do some kind of temporary registration and still take the Thursday line dancing class. Yes, I could, and got my pass, valid for two weeks but promising to go next Monday or Tuesday to register properly.
When I got home, I also managed to write a thank you letter to the Royal Court in London, thanking them (not sarcastically) for the well-considered and thought-out rejection letter they sent me last September, after reading the two 9/11-based plays I wrote. I've been thinking of responding ever since then, wondering if I *should* just leave it alone and not respond, wondering if I *should* tell them I'm writing a full length two-act set in England that stands not a chance of being produced here, if I *should* ask them to read it, just say I'm writing it and not ask them to read it, not even tell them I'm writing it and I'd like them to read it, etc, etc.
For once, I was fully aware of the aspect and able to work with it and write the letter, if that's the correct interpretation. Most of the time, I can be aware of the aspect because I've looked in the ephemeris and know it's happening but can only let it play itself out, like Venus square Uranus and getting two computers, or I can be aware of it and totally incapable of consciously taking advantage of it, if that's the right wording. Anyway, whatever, I'm all set to be able to go line dancing tomorrow and I've written something, however lame, to the Royal Court.
13 January, 2009
Venus Square Uranus
My computer count went up by one this morning when Liza handed me down a 12" PowerBook G4 she no longer needs. All I need to do is up the RAM and buy a new battery to take one more baby step into the 21st Century, many steps behind those whose iPhones have replaced everything. ( I do have a laptop, but it's a truly ancient iBook running System 9 that I would never dream of trying to get online with. In my defense, I did buy a TracFone in December). My desktop in New York is a clunky old 15" eMac, and as I'm going to be here for four months, I'd decided to ship the beautiful 20 inch iMac I have in Silver, which makes the eMac look like the iBook.
As of this morning, after a week, it still hadn't arrived, and tracking it online showed it was delivered and signed for on Friday. I'd had it sent to my landlord's storefront office in case I wasn't at home when it came (no doorman in this building, mate), so went down there to see if they had it. Nothing, no one knew anything about it, what size box was it in, dunno, not me, had it gone to the second floor office by mistake? Checked second floor office, nothing, not here, go back down and ask again.
Back upstairs to 3S, print out the signature, get just a little concerned that it seems to read Teresemaniac, go back down to storefront, wave piece of paper around, man who formerly knew nothing about it says "That's my signature", goes straight to the box I'd been telling him was probably the size of the box it came in and there's the iMac. Bottom of totem pole worker assigned to carry box up two flights for me, everybody happy. Venus never does have very much to do with love for me.
As of this morning, after a week, it still hadn't arrived, and tracking it online showed it was delivered and signed for on Friday. I'd had it sent to my landlord's storefront office in case I wasn't at home when it came (no doorman in this building, mate), so went down there to see if they had it. Nothing, no one knew anything about it, what size box was it in, dunno, not me, had it gone to the second floor office by mistake? Checked second floor office, nothing, not here, go back down and ask again.
Back upstairs to 3S, print out the signature, get just a little concerned that it seems to read Teresemaniac, go back down to storefront, wave piece of paper around, man who formerly knew nothing about it says "That's my signature", goes straight to the box I'd been telling him was probably the size of the box it came in and there's the iMac. Bottom of totem pole worker assigned to carry box up two flights for me, everybody happy. Venus never does have very much to do with love for me.
11 January, 2009
Chiron conjunct Moon
This is the third go-around of this once in 50 years or so aspect for me. The first conjunction, back in March '08, my beloved Fluff ran off to join the circus and for two weeks I walked around bent over clutching my belly praying/hoping/wishing he would come back. He didn't.
Second pass was in July when I was taking line dancing classes at the Senior Center in Silver City. I had dropped a rock on my left little toe and was dancing in bare feet. At least three of the women taking the class told me to beware of dancing like that, for reasons I can't remember. They were very solicitous in a way my own mother never was and if I'd been doing this blog at the time I'd have mentioned it.
Today, third and final pass, thank you Jesus thank you God, could almost pass un-noticed. I'm here in New York and the 11-month old I came to this country to babysit for in 1963 came down from Cambridge for the weekend. She'd asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I'd told her the French day-by-day appointment book I'd gotten at Rizzoli last year in January for half price. They didn't have it and we ended up at the Borders on 57th and Park, where she got me a beautiful soft leather even though it's purple 2009 date book which feels absolutely right in my hands that I'm very happy with. I let her buy me that, I let her buy me a decaf coffee in the Gotham Coffee House at Second and 60-something and then I let her buy the Sweet Pea more marbles at the toy shop on 79th and First. Is that mothering? I don't know, but I have a feeling it's as close as I'm going to get.
And if that IS it, for the third and final pass until 2059, thank you God, thank you Jesus.
Second pass was in July when I was taking line dancing classes at the Senior Center in Silver City. I had dropped a rock on my left little toe and was dancing in bare feet. At least three of the women taking the class told me to beware of dancing like that, for reasons I can't remember. They were very solicitous in a way my own mother never was and if I'd been doing this blog at the time I'd have mentioned it.
Today, third and final pass, thank you Jesus thank you God, could almost pass un-noticed. I'm here in New York and the 11-month old I came to this country to babysit for in 1963 came down from Cambridge for the weekend. She'd asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I'd told her the French day-by-day appointment book I'd gotten at Rizzoli last year in January for half price. They didn't have it and we ended up at the Borders on 57th and Park, where she got me a beautiful soft leather even though it's purple 2009 date book which feels absolutely right in my hands that I'm very happy with. I let her buy me that, I let her buy me a decaf coffee in the Gotham Coffee House at Second and 60-something and then I let her buy the Sweet Pea more marbles at the toy shop on 79th and First. Is that mothering? I don't know, but I have a feeling it's as close as I'm going to get.
And if that IS it, for the third and final pass until 2059, thank you God, thank you Jesus.
09 January, 2009
Uranus opposed to Jupiter
Can I "blame" this aspect for my not having posted since December 11th? Not really, but life has been a bit frenzied since then till yesterday when it perfected (the aspect, not my life, although I'm not complaining) and I flew back to New York with the Rescue Remedied Sweet Pea from Palm Springs, where I've left the car with John till May when the tenants in Silver leave.
So, as of Saturday, January 3rd, tenants, Murray the cat and Lois the dog are in and happy, house was reasonably clean for their arrival, the Sweet Pea and I drove to Morongo Valley the next day and this post is so totally banal and uninteresting I see no point in continuing with it.
More very soon.
So, as of Saturday, January 3rd, tenants, Murray the cat and Lois the dog are in and happy, house was reasonably clean for their arrival, the Sweet Pea and I drove to Morongo Valley the next day and this post is so totally banal and uninteresting I see no point in continuing with it.
More very soon.
Sun trine Jupiter
This is a pitiful example of this aspect for anyone but me, but with a natal Twelfth house Sun and Jupiter in Virgo at the end of the Fifth, I don't think there can be any too spectacular a manifestation. Happy and content with whatever comes my way, I humbly accept my lot in life and am grateful for whatever crumbs are thrown my way...
Now that I fly with the Sweet Pea, I can't use self-service check in and have to go to the counter. Palm Springs with a layover at O'Hare, and was scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. flight to La Guardia. We got to Chicago at 7:30, and when I checked the departures board I saw there was also an 8:00 p.m. scheduled. By that point the Sweet Pea had been in his box since noon, and while he wasn't complaining, being heavily sedated with Rescue Remedy, he'd had a rough week, what with a ten hour drive on Sunday and then being shut in one room for three days, as the last time he stayed at John's he killed all the house plants by using their containers as a litter box.
The 8:30 gate was deserted, not even an agent behind the counter, and with great daring and behaving like the born American I'm not, I went to the gate for the 8:00 flight and asked if there was a window or aisle seat available. With a Capricorn Mid-heaven, I don't like to break the rules, so this was a true departure from my normal way of being in the world.
The agent managed not to break out in hysterical laughter and said, yes, there were plenty of seats, where would I like to go?
Now that I fly with the Sweet Pea, I can't use self-service check in and have to go to the counter. Palm Springs with a layover at O'Hare, and was scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. flight to La Guardia. We got to Chicago at 7:30, and when I checked the departures board I saw there was also an 8:00 p.m. scheduled. By that point the Sweet Pea had been in his box since noon, and while he wasn't complaining, being heavily sedated with Rescue Remedy, he'd had a rough week, what with a ten hour drive on Sunday and then being shut in one room for three days, as the last time he stayed at John's he killed all the house plants by using their containers as a litter box.
The 8:30 gate was deserted, not even an agent behind the counter, and with great daring and behaving like the born American I'm not, I went to the gate for the 8:00 flight and asked if there was a window or aisle seat available. With a Capricorn Mid-heaven, I don't like to break the rules, so this was a true departure from my normal way of being in the world.
The agent managed not to break out in hysterical laughter and said, yes, there were plenty of seats, where would I like to go?
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