Have a blessed Samhain everyone.   

and just for fun, here is the guardian of the house, playing dress up

"Rendezvous on Champs Elysées Leave Paris in the morning on T.E.E."

Good Morning Everyone!!!

I apologize for the lack of posts latley, just been real busy and have not had much time to write.  Hope everyone is safe, happy, heatlthy and out of trouble. 
The activitys don't stop anytime soon either.  While most of us with kids will be getting ready for the sugar-fest called hell-o)))-ween, we pagans should remember to set an extra place at the table for our loved ones this week, and maybe leave them some of the candy the kids collect  :) .  If there are some of you out there with familys who have lost loved ones over the years, now is the perfect time of year to talk about them, and remember them.  This may be good for young children who cannot remember there grandparents, or others that are not with us anymore.  Talk about who they were, what they did in their lives, and what they meant to the people who knew them in life.  This helps paint a lasting picture in the childs mind of there ancesters, and may even provide a role model of sorts for them.
Either way, if spirits do float about more easily this time of year, we should make them feel welcome and loved.   Happy Samhain everyone.

Geee, what have I been up to?  Hmmmmmm.  The home I moved into is working out well, everyone is getting along just fine, and the daughter Brandi (who is in Chile this semester) is a newcomer here to Cspace.  I like the idea of sending emails to the bottom of South America.  Anyway we've had a few interesting adventures latley, one of which was visiting Pictured Rocks in Munising MI.  This is in the upper pennisula right on lake superior, and what a superior lake she was.  The rocks were pretty cool, but the real treat was the massive rainbow that formed in the bay while the boat was waiting to disembark. 

We also did a bunch of hiking, which I enjoy, and it was really special to me because I have never been to the UP before.  Some other things have been a visit to Dow Gardens in Midland, and a trip to Grand Ledge MI to visit the other child, Justin.  He took us to the actual ledges, which was a bit like Pictured Rocks, just a much more closer. 

"In Vienna we sit in a late-night cafe Straight connection, T.E.E."

Next month the real fun begins :( .  The fourth of november is a day I have been waiting for 8 years for, which is election day.  I was only 17 when BUSHCo. took over and I cannot wait to cast my vote and see his oily ass gone.  The interesting thing is that both canidates do seem like a reasonable choice.  I perfer not to swing McCain's way simply because I do not want a republican running the show for another 4(8) years, but if he wins we'll see how he does.  I think this country is fed up with war, lies, and economic depression.  There might be a sigificant change this november. 

The day after is registration day for school, and although some positive changes happed in the last few months, I do miss being out of school after having just started.  I'll be back in full swing in january.  It almost feels like next year is going to start out on the proper foot.  New President, new classes, Brandi will be coming home, so new person to chat with.  Although the parents are joking we will act like brother and sister when she comes home.  You know, fighting over the bathroom, hiding behind the cereal boxes, etc.

Now on the 10th of Nov, I will be doing something for the first time I have been dreading for a looooong time.  Flying.  To make the holidays go a little more smoothly this year for this household, Lori and I will be flying down to Texas to visit her parents.  I suppose once I return to Michigan safley I won't be so scared of it, but until then all I can think of is AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"From station to station back to Düsseldorf City Meet Iggy Pop and David Bowie Trans Europe Express"

Anyway,  Jodi and Tala, drop me a message when you have the chance, let me know everything is allright, and have a happy Samhain everyone!!!

Trans Europe Express
Written by Ralf Hutter & Emil Schult
Performed by Kraftwerk 1977

Wow. 

So much has happened in the last few weeks, and I do apologize to my friends here for not updating.  Tala I hope your new Job is working out...

Anyway, I finally got out of my parents cramped apartment in clare and moved into a geodesic house in Mt. Pleasant.  I am living with the people that help me out at the horse ranch and my life has become so much more peaceful.  On top of the the wife has someone to talk to...

The garden is doing well, and ready to be torn apart to get ready for nex winter.

and here is me in my new spot, also the new home of angry tiger studios

and Little Girl is adjusting well too

She just had a major vet visit yesterday, and is still sleeping off a bunch of vaccine shots.  I love my little girl, and I don't want her to get sick...

any way thats all for now, and hello Brandi....

Tom

Unfortunatly my first blog post in two weeks has to pay tribute to Pink Floyd Keyboardist Rick Wright, who passed away on Sept. 15.  Thank you for everything myfriend.

While Rick did not write many lyrics to songs, here is his tune "Remember A Day" from Saucerful of Secrets, 1968:

Remember a day before today
A day when you were young.
Free to play alone with time
Evening never came.
Sing a song that can't be sung
Without the morning's kiss
Queen - you shall be it if you wish
Look for your king
Why can't we play today
Why can't we stay that way

Climb your favorite apple tree
Try to catch the sun
Hide from your little brother's gun
Dream yourself away
Why can't we reach the sun
Why can't we blow the years away
Blow away
Blow away
Remember
Remember

Ok, I am sortof going off on a tangent with this one, but this is really bugging me.

A couple of weeks ago, when I was trying to get information on the Russian/Georgian thing on CNN, I had to sit through the endless babble about the presidential candidates and their christian faith. The impression I got was a credibility issue, apparently the more jesus they have in thier hearts, the better able they are to lead this nation. 

In a day and age when the credibility of America as a nation is in question and the whole world has come to see us as a materialisic, warmongering country, my vote is going to go toward the candidate that can pull us out our economic rut, heal our foreign relations, not put America in a dangerous position, and most important, treat all things related to environmentalism and global warming as a very serious issue.

How does an individuals religious beliefs come to play in this? They don't. And as I watched the duckspeak on tv I wondered what would matter to me as a pagan in this election, in the same contex as how christians relate thier faith to the candidates. 
For one, religion is very personal to each individual and should not be presented in the public realm.  I worry that the majority of the voters in this country are voting soley on how good of a christian Obama and McCain are.  Which also says to me that we are still hung up on the abortion/gay marriage thing.  What petty standards to hold our future commander-in-chief by.  We did that eight years ago, and look where it got us. 

For the other, and this is coming from personal experiences, most of the really bad stuff I see people do and have experienced myself have come from hardcore, fanatical christians.  The kind of people that think and act as if their path is the only correct one and everyone else must follow that path without question.  And they also use that faith to exploit and harm people for their own gain.  Ole' King George had made public many times he felt justified by his faith to continue with the war overseas and to fuel his "crusade" against terrorism.

I am tired of living in fear of someone elses beliefs. I am also tired to politicians basing their morality on a belief system that is highly immoral.  One does not need religion to moral.  And one does not need to be a christian to be a good leader.  To be the leader we need that person in question needs to remember what it means to be an average everyday citizen.  To solve the problems that we everyday citizens bitch about around the water cooler.  To remeber and act in a way that says the people are more important than anything else in politics.  Not only to the people in this country but to EVERY HUMAN BEING on the face of our wonderful home. 

I do have to say that not every christian is bad or evil and are very kind and do not use their faith as some kind of weapon.  And if there happens to be a christian reading this right now, then I have to say thank you for not being closed minded and accepting other beliefs and the people that follow them.  Paganism means so much to me, the highest is openmindedness and acceptance of others.  If I am correct, Jesus taught love, of others and your higher power.  He's cool with me, the vast majoraty of America' hate and ignorance is not. 

And thank you, reader, for sitting through this rant.  I welcome any comments and arguments. 

Since I am such a music junkie, and starting with last weeks Rush tune, Every week I will post lyrics from bands in my vast collection that are postive, insightful, and slightly pagan oriented.  Todays may or may not go along with my rant, but "Trick of the Tail" is one that expresses the outsider in a world of fear. 

Trick of the Tail

Bored of the life on the city of gold
Hed left and let nobody know.
Gone were the towers he had known from a child,
Alone with the dream of a life
He travelled the wide open road,
The blinkered arcade,
In search of another to share in his life.
Nowhere.
Everyone looked so strange to him.

Theyve got no horns and theyve got no tail
They dont even know of our existence.
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he cried

And wept as they led him away to a cage
Beast that can talk, read the sign.
The creatures they pushed and they prodded his frame
And questioned his story again.
But soon they grew bored of their prey
Beast that can talk?
More like a freak or publicity stunt.
Oh
No.

Theyve got no horns and theyve got no tail
They dont even know of our existence.
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he cried

And broke down the door of the cage and marched on out.
He grabbed a creature by the scruff of his neck, pointing out:
There, beyond the bounds of you weak imagination
Lie the noble towers of my city, bright and gold.
Let me take you there, show you a living story
Let me show you others such as me
Why did I ever leave?

Theyve got no horns and theyve got no tail
They dont even know of our existence
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he cried
And wept.

And so we set out with the best and his horns
And his crazy description of home.
After many days journey we came to a peak
Where the beast gazed abroad and cried out.
We followed his gaze and we thought that maybe we saw
A spire of gold - no, a trick of the eye thats all,
But the beast was gone and a voice was heard:

Theyve got no horns and theyve got no tail
They dont even know of our existence
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance

Hello friend, welcome home.

Performed by Genesis, written by Tony Banks