"Good company, good wine, good welcome
Can make good people."
Shakespeare’s The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth (I.iv.8-9)
The Sun is in the Tropical Zodiac sign of Taurus. Mercury is in Gemini and Mars is in mighty Leo. "But what does it mean?" Read on:
Taurus: Venus, as an evening star, lingers in Taurus even after the Sun moves on into Gemini. That would be a good thing. Saturn is picking up speed again in Virgo, that would be good thing. Saturn will add an exclamation point to the beginning of next week, that’s not so hot. But Saturn’s influence, and that exclamation point, that comes after Taurus, and it happens in another sign.
It’s like that, a simple typographical mark at the end of a sentence. The sentence itself doesn’t carry the impact! Not without that mark. The sentence itself doesn’t carry the impact. See what the difference is? And see how that’s from a simple little line, with small dot at the bottom? What this is about, and the lick to this week, what really hits, is next week, and it slams the door shut on Taurus.
It’s like a exclamation point, and what’s even better, this happens in the next sign over. Close to Taurus, but not in Taurus, when the Sun hits Gemini, that Sun "squares" — 90 degree angle — to Mr. Saturn. Tension. Problems. And not your fault, nor, for that matter, not your problem. But, as a good Taurus, I’d like to remind you that this is going next week, and whatever statement you make now, will have that extra punctuation added, next week.
Gemini: I was in a typical BBQ place, one of the hottest topics in Texas. There was a tourist, in line, in front of me. I can’t even make this stuff up. "Is your meat barbecued or smoked?" Yes, well. See. I’m not sure I can remember the correct answer. I’m guessing that this was after a lunch rush so the guy at the cutting block just looked up and asked if it was lean brisket they wanted. The other choice in brisket is a cut so tender that teeth are not required. Be a good tag line for a BBQ place, too, "You don’t need no teeth for our meat."
I don’t recall what happened because I was busy being amused. Tourists are endless source of amusement. A wise man once suggested that there were no stupid questions. I beg to differ on that point. Sometimes, there really are some stupid questions. Although, from what I understand, in other parts of the country, the term BBQ can refer to boiled meat. Which really doesn’t make any sense to me. Might be my upbringing (Hi Mom!)
With the beginning of Gemini kicking on Monday, Tuesday, beginning of the coming week? Watch that Gemini mouth of yours. I’d be careful you don’t ask any too stupid of a question. Maybe there are no stupid questions, but no reason to make it obvious that you’ve been temporarily stricken dumb — by oepneing your mouth. Birthdays are meant to be enjoyed, look to next week as a time for others to begin being nice. You can come up with answers, just watch the questions.
Cancer: I was mixing in the crowd at a public event. I didn’t stand out in any way, other than a bright shirt and tan lines from sandals. Not that it’s unusual, either. In the thronging thousands, I noticed a Hispanic gentleman, probably in his twenties, with a T-shirt that certainly caught my attention. By the middle of May, it’s really too hot to wear a black t-shirt in the daylight. But this was an evening crowd, so it might be okay.
Especially if you’re a young, studly guy. Which, I’m guessing, he was. The shirt read, "Once you go Latin," and I had to innocuously wander around to see what it said , on the back, expecting, "You never go back," or something similar. Front: Once you go Latin. Back: you never know what happens. Tickled me.
I can’t say, as I haven’t engaged in any inter-species dating in a while. Like catch and release, with the fairer sex, I’m of the "look and don’t touch" variety. But I liked that guy’s shirt. I liked what he was advertising, and I liked the way he was going about it. I can’t say if it worked, not that night, not any night. It’s about embracing your fine Cancer qualities, and then, it’s about advertising those qualities. However you want to advertise.
Leo: Ballpark nachos — don’t try this at home. Which is what I did, had a stale, half-empty bag of corn chips, so I layered that out onto a plate, added peppers, then spread some finely-grated "Mexican Blend" cheese — that means it was Monterey, Jack and Cheddar, mixed together. Why that’s a Mexican blend? I don’t know. Canned peppers, the hotter, the better, toss it all in the microwave, just like the ball park?
My first batch was bad. Really bad. I carefully layered the chips, the peppers and that cheese. Didn’t taste right. Not to be daunted by the simplest of culinary ideals, I tried a second time, I was hungry. I emptied what was left of the chips on the plate. I put about cup of loosely drained peppers, just in a blob, right in the middle of the chips. Finally, I unwrapped a couple of sheets of "single-serving pre-packaged cheese-like product." I sort of broke them up, just a little, and then added them to the top of the heap of chips and peppers. Nuked it until the plate glowed.
It was perfect ball park nachos, at home. The trick is abandon. I used too much care the first time, tried too hard. Leo, don’t try so hard, don’t make this a more difficult task than it really is. It’s not that hard, not that difficult. Don’t compound the problems with extra effort. It’s not needed.
Virgo: I was watching, as I was little off to one side, as a barista poured me a double, while using a cup on an inverted cup to catch the espresso. It’s a matter of improvisation. It’s matter of doing what is necessary to get the job done. I was standing, a little off to one side, and sort of behind the line, so I could observe that the Virgo making the espresso, the big machine with levers and buttons and steams whooshing out of it, yeah, working on one of those, she had come up with novel approach.
I don’t know, if it was really her idea. I didn’t inquire. I was just doing good to get her birthday and earn the typical Virgo look. So I might seem a bit strange, inquiring about birthdays. In this case, it was rather useful information since I corollated it with a working improvisation. With the "cup on cup" action, she had a work around that allowed the espresso to drain directly into the cup she was preparing, thereby halving her workload.
That doesn’t protect her against prying customers with strange questions like, "What’s your birthday?" But it does help ease the burden in Virgo. I can’t get you a better job than the coffee shop. But I can suggest you can cut the drudgery in half.
Libra: With most oysters, raw oysters on the half shell, I enjoy the standard-issue "cocktail" sauce. I think it’s primarily ketchup with some horseradish mixed in. But with rare and tasty specialty oysters, raw again, I tend to favor what the local folks do. I was in the Pacific Northwest, and the restaurant offered a vinegar-based sauce alongside the usual ketchup. I availed myself of the specialty stuff because the oysters were a local delicacy.
I’ve found that local restaurants tend to know what sauce goes best with local food items. I’m not saying that I’m any kind of a shellfish expert, either, and what I recall — I could be wrong — Maine oysters could be prepared like this, as well. But this isn’t really about the oyster cocktail sauces. It’s about how to blend, and be willing to try whatever is local and whatever the local tradition is?
I’d like to suggest, as tourists, maybe we should give their versions a shot. In Libra, with what’s going on, the onset of Gemini, Mercury and so forth? Be willing to give the local food groups a try. Or maybe, listen for a recommendation and be surprised at how the new way tastes better. Or is just an easier way to accomplish that Libra goal.
Scorpio: I was fishing in this one lake, and the water was really muddy. To a real fisher person, it was stained with low visibility. Muddy. Lots of run off, heavy particulate matter, sediment that wasn’t sediment yet. I’ve found, under this kind of condition, a relatively ugly piece of bait works rather effectively. It’s the Kramer Craw Monster. It’s a craw-dad shape football jig with flippers, an extra noise rattler, and some extra legs.
Looks ugly. Doesn’t really resemble much of anything in nature. Which might, or might not be, the point. The goal is to fool the fish. This sort of setup works well. The muddy water means the fish need movement, exaggerated movement, and the fish would like a little noise to follow, as well. Which is how I came up with my creation. It’s really about the ugliest of three different baits lashed together. But the point is, for Scorpio, sometimes? You know, that ugly stuff is what gets the fish. And that’s our goal, the fishing guide and the Scorpio. Try ugly (maybe noisy) bait.
Sagittarius: At the new "town hall," putatively the town’s central government building, Austin has purple lights in the fountain. I was wandering around someplace, one evening, and I noticed the lights.
"How nice," I was thinking, "properly spectral and a good Sagittarius color."
Maybe it was an homage to the psychedelic heritage. Or, better yet, some sort of coded message. Or maybe it was designer’s idea. While I didn’t think that the purple was as effective as, say, red, in reducing night blindness, it did have a similar kind of feel. As you’re looking at some piece of art, architecture or maybe just some lighting design, is it aritfice? does it have practical appliction, like the red light (at night) to reduce night blindness? Or is it just art?
Capricorn: I looked down at the laptop computer I use. The front bay for the CD, just the narrowest slip of a piece of plastic over the slot? The front of it was all covered in ink. Not a drop anyplace except for the front of the CD loading slot’s door. Such as it is. Looked like red ink, too.
I was using a Sharpie to label CDs that I was burning, usually recordings of a reading, and the ink was getting — apparently — not quite dry in some cases. Or on some CDs. I think it’s a personal touch, but then, I’ve been accused of being slightly over-protective about my laptop computers. Since I use them frequently, I feel like the protection, or overt protection, is warranted. So seeing the ink was a little strange, at first. But it only shows up in one place, and it’s not, like, wear and tear. It’s not like this is big problem. On the one side, it cold be annoying that my otherwise pristine laptop is thusly marred. Flip that over, though, it’s kind of a cool looking wear and tear mark. Contained in a single spot, and most of the time, when I’m working, the client doesn’t see the front of the computer. Even cooler, like, a secret tattoo on my laptop.
What this is really about though, is permanent marks. Think about it before you use the ink.
Aquarius: I was standing in a Wal-Mart check out line, I had some fishing weights, for coastal fishing, a stack of burnable CDs, costs less here, and some Power-Bait brand power bait I wanted to try next week. I looked up, as I was in the ten items or less. I’m sure an argument could be made that the stack of 100 CD blanks was more than ten, but it was a single package. Counted as one.
The girl, and I say that because she was rather young, the checker, had a heart tattoo over her heart. Not all of the tattoo was visible, but residing where most males would see the uppermost portion, there was, what looked a like, a medical drawing, colorized, on her flesh. A heart over her heart. I’ve heard about wearing your heart on your sleeve, which is something I tend to do myself. But heart on your chest? Since it was such an intricate design, I couldn’t help but notice.
I paid for my goods, and I made a polite comment about the ink, how it was excellent. She smiled in a demure fashion, unsure that I got it. Which, I might not have gotten. There might be a hidden message; an occult meaning that I don’t understand. Is there a hidden message?
Pisces: I was watching a guy struggle with pulling his cowboy boots off for the airport security check. He was struggling. It’s warm, now. Almost hot. I love travel at this time because I wear sandals. I slip right though the security check points with no problem. Other than I’m a slightly suspicious person, but in reality, let’s face it, despite my own imagination, I’m not really a person of interest. I’m also very aware that I will have to slide through a security checkpoint, and I know it’s much easier if I wear sandals. It prevents hang-up like struggling with boots. Which I have done, and will do, in the winter months.
I try to make sure that I’ve got on clean socks. Helps a little. Watching that guy struggle with something he knew was going to happen, though, like the security check point and subsequent metal detector? All I’m suggesting, this week, be a little more prepared, like me. Casual is fine, and sometimes, in the case of getting on a flight — for me it was business — going someplace is going to have a security metal detector. I know you know, I’m just reminding you that it is a delay, and you can make this as easy as possible for yourself. Try my approach, wear sandals. You know about the obstacle coming up, be prepared.
Aries: With the start of Gemini, next week, there’s going to be an increase in situations. Conditional "if/then" statements. See, the problem is seeing. The deal is, that there should be an "if/then" tag to every step of the Aries Way. It sounds a little like this, "If I do this, then the results are this." It has rejoinder phrase, "And if I do that, then it becomes that."
It’s sometimes a matter of figuring out what is best, what is worst and what will work best. Or what works second best. Or what will do, just to get us all by for the time being. The problem, this is like me, standing at the edge of a body of water, looking at the water, surmising and supposing what will work. Trying to make an educated guess at what I should start with first. If I try this, then it should mean fish on the line. And when that first try doesn’t work? Time to back up and look for something else. Try a different approach. But remember, with this Gemini energy going on, there’s a point, counter-point, an "if/then" way that your guiding light works out.
