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Lost_Warrior

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  1. Lost_Warrior

    Love, Hope and Life

    By Lost_Warrior,

    ::glances around this poor, neglected catagory::
     
    Just yesterday I have started a blog for various religious essays. This will not be for "everyday stuff", but only for things about my personal path. I had started out with the intention of "starting a religion" but I realized that by believing as I do, and practicing as I do, I am effectively creating the path simply by walking it. I was inspired by someone else's religious essays, and decided to write my own. I figure it will help me to learn more about myself, which is my intention. And it may prove entertaining or helpful to others, which is an added bonus
     
    My blog is here: Love, Hope and Life
     
    I was inspired by this blog: Flamekeeping
  2. Lost_Warrior
    Scented oils from resin:
    This one is extremely easy; I actually discovered it by accident.
     
    You need:
     
    ~Some carrier oil (grapeseed works well, so does mineral oil; I haven't tried any others. Recommend grapeseed for skin use)
     
    ~Resin incense (such as Frankincense, Myrrh, Copal or other) I can tell you from experience that Dragon's blood does not work well at all sad and Myrrh works phenomenally. mr blue
     
    ~One of those liquid potpourri burner things with a tealight candle (mine is made from soapstone)
     
    ~Of course, a bottle to put the oil in when you're done, and a funnel.
     
    Here's what you do:
     
    ~Grind up the resin and put it in the burner thing, with some oil. For a strong scented oil you'll need to use a good bit of resin; the more resin, the stronger the scent.
     
    ~Light the tealight, and let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes (depending). You should see bubbles start to come up from the resin, and smell it releasing it's scent. When this happens, let it "cook" just a little bit longer. Blow out the candle and let it cool, then take the candle out of the thing and pour both oil and resin into the bottle (the oil will still be warm).
     
    ~You might need to make a couple of batches to fill the bottle because most of those burner things don't hold much oil.
     
    This makes nice anointing oil or just perfume oil. It has a subtle, yet very long lasting scent. (I'm wearing some amber myrrh oil that I put on at about 5 30 AM; it's now 2 04 PM and it's still going strong.) It can be rubbed all over your body, because the scent isn't strong or "harsh".
     
    (Do shake well before applying because the resin will settle out. You'll get bits of resin on your skin but they can be brushed off. Shaking helps the scent.) You probably will only smell carrier oil when you sniff the bottle, but when it's applied the scent comes out.
     
    Enjoy! Oh, and let me know what other resins work with this process. So far I've tried Myrrh (wonderful!), Amber (works well with the Myrrh, never tried it by itself) and Dragon's Blood (doesn't work so well).
     
    Salt Scrub
     
    Another extremely easy recipe:
     
    You need:
     
    ~Salt (sea salt is preferable. Lacking that, table salt works)
     
    ~Baking soda
     
    ~Essential oils of your choice
     
    To make the scrub:
     
    ~Mix some salt and baking soda in a bowl (more salt than baking soda...maybe...one part soda to two parts salt? I don't measure anything...)
     
    ~Add your oils, amount depending on type of oil, and personal preference.
     
    ~Mix well and spoon into a jar
     
    To use scrub:
     
    ~Wet skin
     
    ~Rub salt scrub over skin and then rinse
  3. Lost_Warrior

    Tomorrow

    By Lost_Warrior,

    Tomorrow I'm catching the train to MN. It will be at least until Friday before I get online again.
     
    I'm really nervous about the trip, not sure why. It is a lot of things I have never done before, but I think I'll be alright. I just wish I could stop worrying LOL.
     
    We had our memorial day celebration yesterday, and my cousin's friend got his car stuck...you should have seen us trying to get it out. We got it out, but it was by 6 or 7 of us sitting in the trunk to add enough weight to get the front bumper off the pavement. After that KT's friends came over, and we had a "jam session" that went until almost ten PM.
  4. Lost_Warrior
    Hehe got 2 or 3 more inches of draw length on my bow...my arrows (the ones made for my compound) are almost too short now I don't think I'll be pulling it back any further than this though...I'm surprised how fast my arms are getting stronger (and also that I have absolutely no stiffness from it...which IMO is really amazing). Arrows still keep going to the left most of the time though...can't figure out why they are always going to the left.
  5. Lost_Warrior
    Well, I'm back safe and sound in PA. I really missed Pennsylvania, and any thoughts I once had of moving out west are now completely gone. I love this place.
     
    Yesterday we went to Green Dragon...it's a HUGE flea market both indoors and outdoors. It's enormous. I didn't buy anything but a sno cone and a pretzel, but I had a good time just checking everything out.
     
    This afternoon my cousin is getting married. It's going to be so weird that Becky is going to be a Pearson instead of a McJilton! Ack! I'm really happy for her though; I hope she and her new husband are very happy. I made her a vase full of silk flowers for a wedding gift, and painted their names, and the date they will be married on it.
     
    I've come to the conclusion that my family has figured out that I'm Pagan, but are ignoring it. I'm not going to rock the boat and bring it up, they are rather Fundamentalist Christian (I wouldn't go so far as to call most of them "Fundy"...at least, if they were once, they've mellowed out quite a bit).
     
    The other day I officially dedicated myself to Morrigan. I've been dedicated to her for years, I just did it officially in ceremony the other day. Short, to the point, and spontaneous. I'm not sure why exactly she wanted me to do it but I did it anyway. Half the time I have no clue why gods want me to do things.
     
    I wrote a few more posts for Love, Hope and Life and I put in a table of contents. Breaks things up into slightly different categories and lists every post on the same page. It was a pain, now I'm just going to have to remember to update it every time I write a new post. I'm working on getting everything "set up" and then I'm going to initiate myself....on the surface it seems like an initiation is rather pointless, but it feels like the right thing to do. Plus, I want the experience of how ritual initiations work so that if I'm ever working on one for someone else, I'm not "flying blind". If I'm going to screw it up or have some sort of unforeseen undesired consequence, I want it to happen to me and not someone I'm working with.
     
    Today I finally was able to speak to my friend, who is having a very rough time of it. It's a huge load off my mind to hear from her that she's doing quite well. I am still worried about her, and have been for some time; but it was nice knowing that she's alive and well, and that the prospects for her future are indeed bright.
     
    Tomorrow I'm going to New Hope and it promises to be an excellent day!! I'm going to get some Dragon's Blood oil (real thing, and scented. Not the fake stuff I have now, or alternately the stuff that has no scent) and a set of Rune stones. I have been looking for the Runes but haven't found them yet, I know where I will probably get them. They're calling me, I think I'm ready for them now.
  6. Lost_Warrior
    I finished the article and it's waiting to be published, go me!
    [edit]I just realized it IS published! thanks guys! It can be found on the UNRV homepage!
     
    I got another 83% in AP Chem
     
    I went to the Sportsman's Show in Harrisburg on Friday and let me tell you, it's worth a trip, but you really cannot see it in one day. It TOTALLY redefines the word "huge". (I got a pretty little piece of agate from the Yellowstone River there. It kind of looks like a lopsided arrowhead and it's all polished up. I turned it into a necklace )
     
    I FINALLY turned my lab report in today, this isn't a good thing because it was due last Wednesday. I was a bit upset that I couldn't get it done before now but I'm glad it's done. Now I have an English project to contend with, which won't be too big a deal because it's art...but it's still annoying
     
    My art teacher loved my newest paintings, I can't wait to do more but I don't think they'll happen tonight.
     
    Oh yea, I'm building an Atlatl in shop (it's a device that can throw a six foot dart upwards of 100 yards...and sometimes at 85 mph) I'm really proud of it, I stained it black and painted red markings on it. It looks really cool. I'm going to do the same thing with the darts. (Most just left it boring wood colors and hardly finished lol). I'll post a picture when I get it done and bring it home
  7. Lost_Warrior

    Poodleification

    By Lost_Warrior,

    So, I got my hair permed today. I'd never done it before, and I must say, while the process isn't the most enjoyable in the world, I am really happy with the result. It's hard to imagine what I would look like with curly hair, so I really didn't know what to expect. Everyone says it smells really bad...this doesn't smell *bad* but rather odd....I think it smells more than a bit like...corned beef seasoning. Yes, my hair smells like a highly spiced piece of meat I don't mind though. It's not as bad as the time I stank of burning feathers from something I did in shop class. I can't wait to see what everyone at school says.
     
    I can hardly believe tomorrow is Wednesday already...the AP exams are closing in...I'm not thrilled about taking them. I'm sure they will be torture can't wait to have them over with though.
     
    I put in a job application, the place wasn't officially hiring but they gave me an application anyway, so I filled it out. Its a start anyhow.
  8. Lost_Warrior

    I Love Days Like This

    By Lost_Warrior,

    Fall is here. You can see it in the trees, feel it in the air. You can smell it in the morning dew. It rained today, it was the kind of rain that smells like snow. The wind is blowing through the trees. I love days like this. It isn't stormy, but there's a certain energy in the air that isn't there at any other time. Only in the fall and occasionally in winter. It's beautiful. I feel so alive when the weather is like this...
     
    This week promises to be much better than last week.
  9. Lost_Warrior
    OMG, I just got an email from my aunt, my cousin Jennifer Founds (my little Jenny!!) has just started singing professionally, and will be touring soon. Jenny is such an AMAZING singer, a good actress and I hear is getting good on a guitar to. I AM SO PROUD of my little Jenny (now not so little anymore). I LOVE HER SO MUCH!! I can't wait to see her!!!
     
    My mom and I just got back from shopping, we figured out what we are going to do for under my graduation gown, one of those dresses like the Roman women wore (or what they may have worn. As my mom says, "what the Vestal Virgins wear in all the movies". I think it's called a Pella?). My mom is an awesome maker of weird clothes, I have a knitted "legionary tunic" now (I'm serious. LOL it does actually look really awesome). She's going to make it. I also found this most amazing dress (almost in the same style but it's navy blue) at a thrift store, for $6. I just HAD TO HAVE IT it fits perfectly.
     
    We had another bomb scare at school on thursday (second one in two weeks) they made us go home without all of our stuff. Andy found a baby bird though, it couldn't open its eyes but otherwise it seems quite healthy and SO cute. Odessa took it home. She named it "Stick". They then locked all the bathrooms except for one (the bomb threats were written on the bathroom walls.) and students now have to go in one at a time, sign in to the bathroom, and the stalls are checked after you leave
     
    My grandad is actively seeking a Ford Escape for me
  10. Lost_Warrior
    So, I get in my car to drive to work, and my car CD player says "bad disk" and spits the CD out at me. (there is absolutely nothing wrong with the disk. I put it back in and it plays fine.) I stop at an intersection, and a guy is spackling overhead, there is white fluffy stuff falling down and it appears to be snowing in the intersection in the middle of summer.
     
    Is this an omen for the rest of my day?
     
    I get to work, and I cannot get the pricing gun to work, it somehow gets the tape of little stickers wrapped back inside. I try to bag rolls, and every time I turn around, someone is standing at my register. NOW, there is another register, and a cashier at it. I am clearly busy. But they have to stand patiently at my register, expecting me to stop what I'm doing and come over. I went through about 20 pairs of gloves trying to bag those stupid rolls.
     
    THEN, I'm trying to make a hawiian pizza, and I can't find the container. I have to get it out of the sink and wash it. Then I have to track down the pineapple and something to put it in. When I get the can opener to work, and try to put the pineapple in the container, what do I do but tip the container and dump pineapple down all over my new leather shoes, the front of the refridgerator, and the counter?
     
    I am trying to make a hoagie for someone and have to track down a knife, also in the sink. Then I'm making another pizza, because we have suddenly sold out of both pepperoni and cheese pizza. So I don't even get the dough spread out, before I hear a crash behind me. I turn around, and the Pringles display has taken a nosedive, there are cans of Pringles ALL OVER the floor. So I leave my pizza and pick them up. A nice lady who is in the store every day helps my coworker pick up the cans, and I get back to my pizza. (some smart person has set the tower of cans on top of the empty box without even taping the box. As you can imagine, the flaps simply folded in.)
     
    The next thing I know, the bucket under the drink thingy, (it's a big basin full of ice and bottles of ice tea, with a tube to drain) is overflowing. All over the floor. Oy vey. So I have to clean that up to. I swear, that thing is the worlds worst invention.
     
    Oh yea, I forgot to mention, when I started my shift there was water coming out of the oven. Don't ask.
  11. Lost_Warrior
    Well I had my first AP exam today. English. It was an hour of multiple choice (55 questions and a whole hour to do it. I had 10 minutes to spare) and two hours in which to write three essays, preferrably 5 paragraphs each. GAH. It really wasn't THAT bad. Although after working for an entire year on a college level course (if I pass this exam, and then later go to college, I won't have to take the corresponding English course. It's a high school class for college credit) two girls decided to exchange papers. Now this exam is *locked down*. By even reavealing any of the multiple choice questions after taking it, even to our teacher, we may forfeit our scores. The exam has to be taken at the same time, by everyone in the country. If it is not given on a certain day, between the hours of 8 and 9 AM (or later in Alaska) the test is not valid (technically). So these girls, who may or may not have been trying to cheat (they said the writing they showed each other wasn't about the test but I don't know. I didn't see it) forfeited their scores after a year of work in this course. I cannot believe, they would do anything so stupid, but they did. and one of them was actually crying about it (of course, they deserved it if they were doing something so stupid. I certainly don't want anyone to cheat on this test and have an unfair advantage.)
     
    I have an AP chem exam next week. I have to actually get out of class to take practice tests. Which is a real bear because I need some of that time to do other things which need to be done before next Thursday, and it's not something I can work on at home either My brain, is fried. I seriously can't feel my head
     
    My prom is saturday night, i'll be sure to let you all know how that goes. I hope its not a complete disaster
  12. Lost_Warrior

    Roman Religion

    By Lost_Warrior,

    The rough draft is finally done! I've sent it to PP for editing, hopefully it will be published soon (and NO "sneak peaks" you guys ) YAY! I took long enouh with it...I really hope it turns out to be worth the wait. I may write another one sometime soon but lets get this one off the ground first
     
    I've moved my bird and flower art into it's own gallery as I'm sure some of you noticed. (it's easier to show it to people that way...I have a few friends and relatives that love to look at my artwork ) and I'm hoping to be adding more soon.
     
    I've got two study halls every day now, YAY I'll have lots of time to work on writing, actually do my chem homework, and read the books that my english teacher has been thinking I've read...
     
    Oh yea, I got my report card today. 83 in AP chem again! YAY! EIGHTY-THREE! EIGHTY-THREE! EIGHTY-THREE! WhOoT! lol I feel special...
  13. Lost_Warrior

    Feelin' Great

    By Lost_Warrior,

    I got so much done today. I've no sign of the flu left, and the depression I had been sinking into has completely lifted.
     
    I have written a rather lengthy essay for Love, Hope and Life and I have added a few things to the Resources section of Hidden Worlds. I have also found a very nice skin for my blog, which is just what I was looking for (two columns, customizable header without getting rid of the blog subtitle; and it comes in colors that I love, with no weird symbols anywhere!) I'm in heaven...
     
    I'm actually feeling ready to go back to work tomorrow, so perhaps I'm still ill after all! But a lot of the issues recently plaguing me have been resolved, and I feel like I am able to tackle life again.
  14. Lost_Warrior

    Finally

    By Lost_Warrior,

    I feel like I have some room to breath. The past few months since I started work I really haven't felt like myself, but I'm starting to have more "me" time and am actually beginning to feel like I'm getting something done again. I started The Eagle's Conquest and am really enjoying it. I'm also feeling more inspired with my writing, and I think I should start writing more poetry again (I haven't written any in...gods, months! I just hate feeling stressed and uninspired!).
     
    I'm working on something called The Seven Gates which I posted in my blog:
     
     
    It's far from complete, actually, I believe that bit of writing is complete but the self work that it's based on is far from complete. Besides that I may make it into a story of some sort.
     
    I've just won an Ebay auction for yet another piece of alexandrite jewelery (first the necklace, and now a ring to. This will be my second alexandrite ring). Lab grown alexandrite really isn't all that expensive, which is very good. My jewelery addiction is almost as bad as my Roman addiction!
     
    I'm enjoying this whole weekend off, but I will have to work eight days before my next chance to have some time off (that's right folks; I'm working Christmas!). That is going to be a real bear, but luckily all but one day is the shift I can actually tolerate (notice I said "tolerate". This job is definitely not where I can see myself in a few months, or even where I would like to see myself in five minutes. I have fun, but it's turning into one of those "soul crushing" jobs. Plus, they are really tightening down on the already semi-tight regulations. I swear, I seem to be wearing "bullsh*t attractant" or something. They want us working *constantly* for eight hours, with no breaks! Gah! and they've installed closed-circuit camaras to make SURE we don't take a minute to catch our breath. I'll stay, hopefully, through the winter and then come summer, if my plans work out or not, I'm looking for a new situation. Luckily right after Christmas they will be cutting back hours, I won't get any less than four days a week, but the extra time off is just what I need to keep feeling OK. )
     
    So I'm taking a deep breath, and enjoying tomorrow off. Then its "back to the grind" so, if you don't see too much of me until after Christmas you'll know why. I will perservere; and I won't forget about UNRV, I promise!
  15. Lost_Warrior
    The weather is freakin' gorgeous! 70+ degrees and sun, AND I had off all weekend! On saturday my mom and I went shopping, and then we went out to dinner with her friend. I had a great time, and I really enjoyed getting to spend time with my mom (we rarely have a day off together). On sunday I spent some time outside, in the woods, meditating. I wrote my "rite of passage" ritual that I'm going to use when I go to MN, and I talked to the people I'm going to be staying with on the phone for about 3 hours. They are really cool. Al (the blacksmith) had me in stitches laughing the whole time, he's a hoot!
     
    My dad is being a donkey's behind about my going to MN. You see, the guy I'm staying with has PTSD, and my dad is of course saying nothing but "he's crazy as a loon!". I know my dad is overreacting. I think he just wants out of any involvement in this. No matter; I've pretty much decided on taking a train to MN, and made some arrangements from that end. All that matters is if I catch the train up here, or go all the way down there to catch one so that he can come with. Personally I'm leaning towards the former, based on his reaction. He even sent me an article from MSN news about cyber stalkers...forgetting of course that I've been corresponding with these people for two years before they even HAD a working computer!! I really don't want a how many hour? really awkward train ride with my dad.
     
    Today I'm going to stop by my friend's before work. I spoke to her for a long while on the phone last weekend, and I'm going to stop by to see her on my way to work.
  16. Lost_Warrior
    On Saturday I didn't get to go to the horse show, so I went to the Farmer's Market with Kathy. I am sure glad I did (I'm not disappointed at all about missing the horse show anymore. I was there for a little bit.) I met three people who I could talk about paganism with. The first was the salesgirl at a clothing store; she approached me and asked about my jewlery. It turns out she's Wiccan and we talked for about fifteen minutes on the subject of religion. The second was Robin who works at Brigid's House (a pagan store). We talked for at least an hour and a half about all sorts of things, and then I found out that someone we know is also pagan. More "wanna-be" than anything else but it was still cool talking to her.
     
    Such a warm and open pagan community here leaves me longing for such contact when I return home. There are many pagans where my dad lives, but when I still lived there I was not able to appreciate it. On Sunday I was parusing around Witchvox and I ran into the NEPA pagan group. I quickly joined, and I'm hoping that through the NEPA group I will make lots of real life pagan friends in my area. I've actually considered writing pagan essays for the local newspaper and seeing if they'll print them. It's probably not a good idea to do that (I live in a very conservative area) but I feel it's really a step in the right direction towards tolerance and acceptance. I'll have to think about it for a while (am I prepared for all the hate mail? Or I could always write under a pen name.)
     
    One person came back to a pagan forum that I'm a part of, and already is trying to bait me into something. I'm flat out not taking the bait. If she wants to play that game, she can play it in private. I will not be baited into a public argument if that's what she wants. I'm hoping it just blows over but I think she'll cause more trouble if someone else takes her bait.
     
    I finally finished the bird bath stand for Kathy. Boy was it ever a pain in the ass! The leaves I forged kept breaking off...I overworked the poor things...and they had to be MIG welded back on too many times to count. I had difficulties with everything...and was really starting to feel like I couldn't do it, but with a lot of help from Al, I did. And it's done!!! I also made my first horse shoe the other day; I gotta say, really not bad for a first try. Of course I wouldn't put it on a horse but still...and the thing I like most about it is the holes, because I never was able to punch holes before.
     
    I just have to remember how far I've come, when I start to feel bad about what I can't do. When I got here, I couldn't even light a fire; now I'm doing things I couldn't even dream of doing before. I really do think that I have the knowledge (experience only comes with...well...experience!) to do what I need to do when I get back home. And I am truly enjoying it!
  17. Lost_Warrior

    Eagle's Mere

    By Lost_Warrior,

    So we ventured into a little town called Eagle's Mere today. They have a few really cool shops, and in the first one we walked into, I found two Roman coins. Well more than two, I couldn't resist buying one, and I actually ended up with two. I wish I could have brought them all home.
     
    The first one I picked up is from Constantine, the second, Constantius. I have no idea why I picked the one of Constantine, other than I was drawn to it for some reason. Actually, I didn't even realize until I got home, Constantius is apparently Constantine's son. I had no idea LOL. The second one seems miraculously well preserved, or completely fake. I like it because of the little legion standards on the back of the coin I have no idea as to the value of these coins.
     
    I've posted images in my blog:
     
    Constantine II
     
    Constantius II
     
    I also went to a bookstore that I somehow didn't even know existed and I picked up a book entitled The Mask of Jove by a guy called Stringfellow Barr. It's a first edition hardback book in very good condition. It is about the history of the Roman Empire, written in a narrative format. I now have four books that I plan to read for UNRV this might take a while (I picked up another off the "bargain rack" at the mall last week).
     
    My new book looks very good, however I'm wondering who named their kid Stringfellow and why.
  18. Lost_Warrior
    All in all this week wasn't too bad; but these past two days nearly killed me. Friday was the grand opening for Subway, and we were absolutely slammed. It nearly killed us. We were so busy we couldn't keep up, and there were at least 14 of us working. The people were lined up nearly out the door, for hours on end. It was nuts, but we made it. I got my picture with the Shell race car, and a picture of the rather perverted looking neon sign in front of my store. I'm sending them to my dad.
     
    Saturday wasn't nearly so busy, but my coworker was having a conniption and nearly walked out, after calling every manager AND the district manager, over a fight with one of our coworkers (it was a stupid fight to. The girl was WAY out of line, and the other called her on it, which caused her to decide to walk out mid-shift.) Things are smoothed over now, but it made the night pretty darn stressful. I'm hoping by the time I go back to work on Tuesday it will be taken care of.
     
    I also think I'm getting sick. Everything is going around, and the last thing I need is to get sick for my trip. I'm drinking thyme tea every day and taking zinc supplements. Thank gods I have the next two days off; if they try to call me in, the phone will be unhooked. I'm sleeping till noon tomorrow.
     
    I got my train tickets, so I don't have to worry about them being lost in the mail anymore. And I found $50 I didn't know I had, when I was cleaning out my lock box. Perfect timing. I received an invite to the History Book Club today, which I plan on joining (four books for a buck each, and they have really cool books!) so I should have reading material; if not by the time I go to MN, by the time I get back and get a better job that allows me time to do things (I hate working third shift; "mornings" suck because I'm getting ready for work, and don't have time to get started on much, and "evenings" are very late at night, so I end up going to bed as soon as I can.)
     
    TWO MORE WEEKS!!
     
    If I got through Friday, and today, I can get through anything!
  19. Lost_Warrior

    I'm Still Here...

    By Lost_Warrior,

    As you've probably noticed, I've been a bit absent on the forums lately. I spent the past week or so at my neighbor's house, dogsitting. They had a computer (that works better than mine) but my time has been spent cleaning up messes and exploring new sites (I found an awesome Pagan Forum and have been spending time playing on there.
     
    I've also been stuck on the early shift (Oh, joy!) lately, and work has been taking up alot of my time. Between work, my internet not working, and trying to find time still to further my spiritual path (which I am taking much more seriously now) I've not had too much time to mess around on UNRV. Hopefully, that will change very soon.
     
    I still have several books that I plan on reading and reviewing for UNRV, but reading has been slow, I must find time to read as well. I swear, it didn't used to take me two months to finish one book
     
    I'm very happy to be home from the neighbors, I will not miss the sheer *joy* of climbing into bed at 1 am to find that the dog had pissed in it Also, theres something about the carpet at their house which makes it impossible to see stains. They can only be found by stepping in them, preferrably at 2:30 AM when I must be up to go to work at 4:30. It's great to be home.
     
    Yesterday we went to Sonestown Heritage where I found an awesome necklace for my mom (we bought each other early christmas presents, this pendant is worth far more than the fifteen bucks I paid for it. She bought me an amber and silver bracelet with celtic crosses.) and last weekend I bought a beautiful set of brass things for her for $6. I'm giving them to her as a solstice gift. She's pagan/taoist/buddhist so, the brass singing bowl (worth far more that the $6 I paid for it...and I got a whole set for that much!) incensce burner, little bowl, ashtray and silver thing, will be perfect for her.
  20. Lost_Warrior

    I'm Very Happy

    By Lost_Warrior,

    My mom gave me my "Easter" present today, even though the last part isn't here I already had something suitable. It's just what I wanted, and expected: resin incense with charcoal tablets. We gave it a test run downstairs, where my mom could be there to help keep an eye on it because neither of us had ever done it before. It's interesting to light, instead of flaming at first like normal charcoal, it sparks and smokes in a manner that threatens to set things around it on fire! That rather quickly subsides, however it's quite frightening! The stuff burns quite a long time, I'm not entirely sure how long one tablet will burn, but now that it's not sparking or anything, I really don't think the fire can go anywhere. The bowl its in is barely even warm.
     
    The resin incense (in this case, Dragon's Blood but I have a few different ones) smells *divine* and the charcoal, though it has a slight odor, doesn't give off many fumes. That means, no "punk and wood" smell left over in the room like happens with stick incense, and I can seriously see myself starting to love this stuff, I just have to find a way to control that sparking! It burns long after it becomes useful for incense though, because once it gets REALLY burning (white all over) everything you put on it just evaporates in a puff. It smells good, but doesn't last long at all. Although when it first lights it's good, and a small bit of resin will last a good fifteen minutes.
     
    I also got my new scanner, which works wonderfully. I'm sure some of you have noticed the updates in my gallery
     
    I'm ill again, with flu like symptoms, but I'm hoping that will soon pass. I didn't get much rest at all the other night, which is a likely culprit, combined with stress. I managed to score a whole weekend off! This is the first time in probably over a month. I think it was a little "thank you" gift from my manager, because I agreed to give up two days off in a row and work a dreaded morning shift for her because she had no one else to work that shift.
  21. Lost_Warrior
    I didn't think I would ever get it done, but I did. My review of The Eagle's Conquest has been sent to Viggen for publication. It's been several months now, since I started reading the book. I promised you a review to come soon, thinking that I would read quickly but alas, life got in the way. Now, finally, I've finished the book and have written the review.
     
    Time to celebrate! :drunk:
     
    I have tomorrow and Friday off, which I am very happy about. Our one assistant manager quit at a pretty bad time, so my schedule got rearranged. I'm back to forty hours a week, which is a mixed blessing. I will have to start training for Subway in a couple weeks, which will be a welcome change of pace however I am unsure of my feelings about it. (The addition of SubWay will probably change the work environment quite a bit, and I don't like that prospect at all). The remodeling is scheduled to be done on March 17. If you look at the current status of the project, this date seems to be pushing it a little, however, hopefully, the new coolers should be up and running today. I kind of doubt it though, because of the heavy snow we have been getting since yesterday. I was sort of hoping that work would get called off, but alas, there is a reason I joke that our store is "open 24 hours-even if it's on fire". The snow is falling so fast that plowing is pointless; ten minutes after it's done it needs done again. I don't think the truck made it today, but I hope it did.
     
    My trip to Minnesota is scheduled for sometime in early June. I was hoping it would be sooner, but it's nearly definite now. I can't wait to get out of here! I don't know what I'll do when I get back, but I'm not going back to working at a gas station. No, never. This sort of work is not good for me, physically or mentally as I have seen in the past couple of months. Just three more months, and I can get the heck out of here!
     
    And now, I can start procrastinating on the next book in the Eagle series. It is upstairs on my shelf as we speak.
     
    I have so many books I don't know what to do with them all. The obvious answer is "read them" but alas I'm not quite the bookworm I used to be.
  22. Lost_Warrior
    I've finally paid the girl to get her car fixed, and they actually decided they wanted less money than they'd need to fix it. I wrote her a check, she wrote me a reciept (which I locked up in my safe). So that is taken care of. Now all I need is to pay my insurance and fix my car, and looking at my account balance I may just be able to do that without going into my savings! I am very much joyful about that, as the money I had fervently squirrelled away is money I had planned to use for my trip to Minnesota (hopefully with some left over when I get back).
     
    I haven't had a "sugar episode" in almost two weeks, which, if you had seen me two weeks previous, seems to be quite an accomplishment. I'm doing quite well now actually, and still getting better. My next challenge to myself is to get up at a reasonable hour. I lack the self discipline to pull that one off.
     
    I've been getting swelled up and itchy fingers and toes from the cold (happens every winter, grr) and nothing was working for them. I don't know what made me think of it, but I have some aromatherapy oil that I mixed up, I have no tincture of benzoin and the scent does not last long enough to be of any real value for aromatherapy. So for some odd reason or another, I rubbed the stuff into my hands and feet. My fingers and toes (which had been itching terribly, and making me do the "itchy foot dance") did not itch at all while I was at work yesterday, and the swelling is considerably down in them today. (It does help that I've been trying to avoid the cold as well.)
     
    I was playing around in the kitchen and decided to see what I could come up with that was something different. I wanted oatmeal, and so I started playing around with it. Here's what I came up with:
     
    Use actual rolled oats, not quick oats, please. ::shudders at the thought of glue quick oats:: Make the oats with milk, instead of water (just make it how you usually do, follow the directions on the box, whatever). When you're boiling the milk put a few shakes of cinnamon, an allspice berry or two, and a few cloves (I did not crush the cloves or allspice; you might want to). When the milk is boiling, add the oatmeal and cook as usual. (Don't freak when at first the cinnamon forms little lumps that look kinda funky...they'll go away). Serve with a spoonful of brown sugar.
     
    My next recipe is for fried apples. It's simple enough. Cut the apples into tiny pieces (not too tiny, bite sized) and coat them in brown sugar mixed with cinnamon. Heat some butter in a frying pan (get it pretty hot) and fry 'em up! Don't cook them *too* fast, you don't want the insides still cold and the outsides burnt
     
    And for good measure, spiced cider: Put your cider in a microwave safe mug, and nuke it for a few minutes. While it's in the microwave, crush up a few cloves and allspice berries (not too fine) and put them in a teaball. When the cider is good and hot, put the teaball in, and let it "steep" for about five minutes. Of course, you can probably do this on the stove, but for a redneck like me the micro is just as good. So is a soup can on a hot car engine, but I digress. (just kidding about that last one. No, really!)
     
    If you haven't noticed, cloves are my favorite spice, followed by allspice (followed by cinnamon, ginger, and garlic. Not all together, of course)
  23. Lost_Warrior
    I'm a member of a website called TC. It's great, the people are great, for the most part, and the conversations are wonderful. The one thing that really bugs me is that the hosts are a bit erm...pushy. And one thing they are VERY pushy about is that each reply must contain a quote, made using the quote button, of the post you're replying to. It doesn't matter if you are making a general reply to everyone, you still have to quote *something*. It's very annoying, but I don't think the quote button is the issue that I have with it. It's the attitude of the staff about it. They're trying to make an SMF forum into a Beehive forum, because they "hate drill-down forums" and "they can't do their job if they can't follow the threads" so they want a link back to some thread or other in *every post*. Done in a specific way. Ok, not my fault they can't figure out what people are saying. They must have the conversational awareness of dead flies, if they can't figure out when a post is in general to everyone and when someone is replying to a specific person.
     
    I really wish there was another website around where I could talk about paganism the same way I can talk about it there.
     
    I'm REALLY hoping the issues between my coworkers have been resolved. I have to go to work today, and I really don't want to. I am so freakin' sick of the DRAMA around that place. If I have to deal with 8 hours of one particular person not doing her job, making messes and stirring up trouble (I'm starting to wish she HAD walked out) I'm going to lose it. Just two more weeks and I'm FREE!!
     
    I got my dragon's blood oil today, and I'm really disappointed to find out that it doesn't smell at all like dragon's blood. It smells like carrier oil, and that's it. I know that Myrrh resin steeped and heated in oil makes a wonderful perfume, as I'm wearing some right now (I discovered it by accident; my Myrrh stinks to high heaven when actually burned, so I put it with some mineral oil in one of those potpourri burner things.) I don't know why the dragon's blood didn't work that way, maybe I'll try making my own.
     
    I do love my Myrrh perfume though.
     
    I finally got a new ISP, and I think the kinks are still being worked out of it as it's a brand new connection. It seems to be working quite well now, but I was having major problems with it before. If you call Epix tech support, they tell you that you need a new computer to be able to connect to the internet um...NO. So we hooked up with Chilitech. I hope it works. If not, well it can't get too much worse than Epix and it's cheaper.
  24. Lost_Warrior

    Hopeful

    By Lost_Warrior,

    Well I talked to the guy who would have been my boss today. He said that he really was only looking for a subcontractor (and that I really hadn't made an issue by calling too much; I and my friend had both blown it out of proportion). I'm unable to be a subcontractor until I have a shop to work in, but I said I'd give him a call as soon as I had a place to work. He asked for my number as well which shows me he definitely is interested. He also filled me in on the name of the guy in Beaver Lake. I had been looking for him.
     
    So I went to yellowpages.com and searched for the guy in Beaver Lake...I found two that seemed likely and the first one I called was it. I left a message, I hope he calls me back. Wouldn't it be awesome if he could use another set of hands in the shop?!
  25. Lost_Warrior

    Easter Week

    By Lost_Warrior,

    Well, Easter Week is over. I got my new ring from Israel and it is BEAUTIFUL. I also got my other new one today, a "color change" amethyst that really does change from a bluish purple to a raspberry red. Unfortunately, the seller lied about the size; it's a size 10 or 11, she said it was a size 7. It doesn't fit my biggest thumb.
     
    Yesterday I got to go to my grandmother's for lunch. I had to miss Easter dinner, because I got stuck working. But I got to help hide eggs and watch the kids try to find them before I left. My mom gave me her wedding rings yesterday, and overall it was a good day. My grandmother surprised me with an orchid and another African violet. I need to clean out my upstairs room to find a place for them. My grandad saw my tattoo for the first time, but I really think grandma must've told him about it before (judging by his lack of reaction. He only said "it comes off, right?" LOL)
     
    I'm watching a beautiful natural alexandrite on Ebay. It's from a company famous for selling their alexandrites and they usually go way out of my price range. But it would fit my right pinky finger (the only finger I don't have a ring on) and it isn't going sky high yet. With a little luck, I just might get it. If I can get it for under a 100 bucks I'm going to have to.
     
    Last night I spoke to a very close friend who I haven't spoken to very much in years. We did everything together in elementary school. I told her about my other friend who is having a very rough time, although I kind of feel bad about telling her because I had told my other friend I wouldn't tell anyone (keeping in mind though that my childhood friend doesn't know the other, and probably never will; I didn't mention her name). I just needed to talk to someone about it. I've been worried sick about my friend (literally) for weeks and I couldn't take it anymore. I miss my old school friend too. We've regrettably grown apart over the years, but I would very much like to get to know her again. She is probably the best friend I've ever had. Today I heard from my other friend and I am very happy to say she seems to be doing *much* better.
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