Astrology Home Buoy
[Last modified: ]

7/31
I figure a few folks got the inflection wrong on the beginning of yesterday's entry, perhaps it was the lack of punctuation, it should have sounded something like "Ssschwweet, mon." But I was attempting to give it the correct spelling. And the correct punctuation. So much being correct. Some things just don't translate. The bats were out in force last night as I sat and had a reflective cigar while watching the hordes leave their little home away from home. I had some vintage "Chemical Brothers" on the CD, a cigar from the Canary Islands which had a buttery flavor, and as the day's light leaked out of the sky, the flavor in the cigar began to have a slightly peppery finish to it. I did pick up Heather today. Or rather, I picked up some Mexican Heather for the trailer's patio, the price was right, and I couldn't resist the idea of adding a little color to the makeshift patio.

7/30
"Sweet man!" Sure, I was merely demonstrating some of the attributes of electronic marketing to the Neighbor. He's a sports fan (well obviously) and we've both got this Scottish friend and there's this European football team called the "Scottish Claymores," and with the Scottish Leo's birthday is coming up so the lad is getting (his trailer ain't wired) a baseball cap and T-shirt from his home country. It's the miracles of the electronic frontier, I suppose, or the global village, from American Football in Scotland to Scottish swag airmailed to the doorstep of the trailers in Shady Acres.

7/29
I was perusing several other horoscope sites on the web, and I noticed something that makes my place unique in what it offers. Depth. I found there was a lot of regurgitated text from old astrology "cookbooks," a little bit of fairly arcane text which had precious little to do with reality, and most of the weekly scopes lacked depth. I figure my scopes are currently running well over a hundred words per week, and the other ones seem to be a little shallow by comparison. Then there were the daily scopes. One caught my eye and gave me a good chuckle, and an idea. For Sag, it said, "The moon is in Sag, the sun is in Leo, today is a great day...." Then, for Gemini, it started out, "The moon is in Sag, the sun is in Leo, today is a great day...." I wonder if I could away with using the same horoscope for two signs on the opposite side of the zodiac? Better yet, I could just write one horoscope and have it apply to all the signs? Just copy and paste 12 times over. Then I signed up for a few free readings. Now I know I'm ahead of the pack. The typical "reading" was a computer generated text which didn't have more than a hundred words in it. Compared with the "free lunch" offer on astrofish.net, and compared with possible trivia prizes, this place looks better and better all the time.

7/28
I have to wonder about the Art Director, and what sort of mood altering substances he takes before he gets to work. Some of the changes don't exactly meet with my idea of fine art, but I suppose, if the web page design was all left up to me, I would do everything in something that looked a lot like black velvet. Naked ladies, ascended Elvis, and the all time classic, dog playing poker — wonder if there's a web page for that? The evening light is getting very seductive on these summer nights. A good cigar, perhaps a little Cuban Corona, the fading evening twilight, and the Austin bats. From the patio, I can just make out the swarms of flying, bug eating mammals as they depart their Austin Headquarters. It makes for a good evening ritual. Then, late in the evening, I was talking to first a Capricorn then a Gemini, while the space shuttle streaked across the sky. Bats then outerspace vehicles. Big night for stuff in the sky.

7/27
I got a bit of last minute work in, and that made all the difference in the day. I do believe it was a hot one outside, but I wouldn't know, I never got past the front door. I was supposed to star in a video yesterday morning, but the production fell through, and I never got a chance to make my great debut. I was working on my lines, though, all night long, getting ready, "Wow. That's fast. (click a mouse)." So I went exactly zero places, did exactly zero things other than field a few a phone calls, and work on a special project which landed in my lap on Saturday. At one point, while I was chatting with a friend on the phone, I had an opportunity to come up a with a new product for selling on my web site: cat felt. I ran a curry brush through my cat's fur — she loves it — and before too long, I had enough matted fur on the brush to make a felt patch. Do this every day for a week, and I think I would have enough fur to make, I don't know, maybe a vest? Think it would sell? Cat Fur Felt.

7/26
The combined effect of a long day doing readings, a hot walk around the lake, BBQ and bats let me drift off to sleep long before my usual bedtime. That was lucky on Saturday night, but that also meant that I was up early Sunday morning. Way too early. The moon was in Sagittarius, approaching a full position, and that just served to light me up even more. So rather than try and get some more sleep, I got up and answered the usual E-mail, then thought I would try to get out while it was still cool, and enjoy a morning trip around the lake. By the time I got back, the phone was ringing, and I was off for an afternoon of home improvement shopping with a Virgo. We slammed coffee and breakfast tacos, and hit the "Home Despot" to shop for things like toilets and counter tops. I was getting ideas for redecorating, and my shopping partner was amazed at how hard it was to keep track of me in a big store, "You're just like a little kid, you wander off." At one point, she was discussing proper mirror placement in her new bedroom, Fang Sway, and after having seen the place, and the mirror she was talking about, if she was really looking to attract a relationship of sorts, I figured the best place to put the big mirror she had was on the ceiling — over the bed.

7/25
I was reviewing, revising and rewriting some of my older astrological transit material as I was talking to yet another Virgo on the phone. We were discussing Mars as we both have a similar Mars influence coming up. I looked at my stuff for me*, it said something about being careful with cutting instruments, and I promptly sliced my thumb while trimming a houseplant — now I've got band aids on both hands. It's not so much that these are painful cuts, or anything worse than I ever did when I was working on motor vehicles, but these days, it's annoying (this second cut was my "mouse" thumb). I worked at the bookstore yesterday, busy from before my scheduled start time until after 6. I was so "knackered" at the end of the day, I slid right down to Green Mesquite BBQ and had a Leo serve me up some of their "Bubba's Tacos" which are great, a little sliced beef, a little chopped beef, and roll it all in tortilla. Couldn't be better — Salsa AND BBQ Sauce. I hooked around the lake, and took the long way home, making a comfortable four mile walk out of the long way home.

*I compute a transit report for myself, and I check back, reading through it as the year unfolds — I've learned to take some my own advice from time to time, especially when I'm on the edge, like the cutting edge.

7/24
The weather is back with vengeance. Now, assuming that one ex–fiancée — the one who had the temerity to suggest that I had ice water running in my veins and this supposition bears some re–examination — assuming she was, indeed correct, then that would go a long to explain why, whenever I step outside the air conditioned comfort of my South Austin trailer, along the shores of the Colorado River, I immediately have a thin sheen of moisture covering my body. I haven't found any volunteers yet, although, I'm certainly accepting applications, to give me a taste test to verify that I'm covered in condensation as opposed to sweat.

7/23
Mercury is retrograde, the weather is back to being absolutely normal — hot and sticky — and I spent some time cowering under the conventional air conditioning unit. There were a couple of frustrating events yesterday. I was making a "home repair" with my handy Leatherman Tool (TM), and when I went to close the screwdriver blade I almost sliced the top quarter off my right index finger. It was one of those gusher cuts, the kind that soak red ink (blood actually) through two paper towels before I had the mental fortitude to slap a band aid on the injured digit. The other frustration is a sketch that I did on a piece of paper, a new look to the web site. The "boys in the backroom" look at it, say, "sure dude," and then nothing happens. I've even pointed them to a couple of clean sites that I like, and the comments are "Sure, we can do that," but nothing happens. I finally worked on some the web graphics myself, but even then, there was a dispute raised about dates, times, file transfers, bandwidth, and my choice of color selections. "It looks good as a hair color, Kramer, but it looks like crap on a monitor, got that?"

7/22
The weather has been really bizarre — which isn't that unusual for Texas — but the other night, several of us were sitting out in the dying light of the late July sun as the clouds were lit up with various shades of ochre turning sharply to faded pink, and then a quiet magenta as the conditions shifted. About the time the sun set completely, we were experiencing a really light rain. And the rain was back yesterday. I had the doors and windows open, there's a kitchen window I kept fiddling with — open — closed — partially open — closed, shades drawn was the final solution. Happened again last night as the rain came beating down in a huge flash condition. I was almost caught out in the nasty weather, but I was also timing myself by watching the dark clouds scudding overhead. Like I suggested, it's been really strange weather patterns. My prediction is we're gearing up for a torrential hurricane season. I played "guess my sign" with a particular girl, and I admitted that I was sure she was a Pisces. My conclusion was more based on two bits of data, one, a friend of mine had a huge crush on her (he always picks Pisces, or so it seems) and two, I saw this girl with her out of state mother one evening (during the Pisces time). It was a good guess, but I was wrong. Turned out to be an Aries. But I was close. And isn't it Maurice Chevalier who likes them that way?

7/21
For the last several years, as I've tried to break into more "traditional" print syndication — I've had trouble with my established web–based publishing schedule. One editor suggested that I write a weekly horoscope that was generic enough to cover the whole period, that I leave out the references to timing. Of course, that presents a problem, and personally, I have difficulty with the accuracy at that. I write a Monday to Sunday column, covers the whole week. But an idea came up, during a deeply meditative state, I was wondering how well received a "weekend update" would be, say something that came out on Thursday? I've got a lot of "bit fiddling" to so, but I might try that this week. There's another problem I'm running into this week. I answer as much of the e-mail as is humanly possible. And I try to be direct, honest, and give a valid astrological answer to questions. And yes, details do matter, and yes, I try to answer, but this week, I have been besieged with questions that can't be answered in a single line or two. And I've gotten a fair number of requests for rather detailed answers. Relationship questions, impact of the celestial events on a single chart, questions of that ilk. Then, the person writing in, wonders why I can't pause in my schedule, calculate the chart, do an analysis, and then write up a response — for free. Sounds pretty petty on my part, but if I stopped and did this for free for everyone, I'd be out of job. And I've discovered that free advice is worth every penny that was spent.

7/20
I get wonderful inspirations when I'm along the shore of the lake. Or the river, depending on which side of the dam I'm on. I there's footpath that I like, and it seems that a number of kids who are not in school at the moment have discovered some of the better fishing spots. I was reflecting on the quality of air, the way the atmosphere feels in Austin, especially down alongside the river. Now, I've spent nearly a quarter of my life in the desert environments, place where the humidity can be registered in the single digits, and triple digit temperatures really don't feel that hot. But the air in Austin feels remarkably different. The Texas Gulf coast has one feeling, but the humidity here is more gentle, almost softer. And with the recent weather patterns, there have been these giant rain clouds which scurry up from somewhere, following the line of the river's channel. The Austin air feels "soft" with an almost gentle quality to it. The humidity on the coast is almost caustic, laden with sea air, to a certain extent, tart. But here? It's an easy going humidity. There's something about travel which just wears me, and as much as I like to get up and go, the getting home part is still exhausting. Perhaps it was just because I spent the better part of yesterday rebuilding a set of keys — maybe that's why I was so tired. There just seemed like there was an inordinate amount of work involved in getting together another office key, another trailer key, another mail box key, and the list goes on. I was watching my buddy's television, "Don't get used to it — Monday night football starts soon." It was Ally McBeal, and she was making a speech in front of a judge, and all of this had something to do with the show's plot. I was busy looking at the girls on the television, and then I hear the main character say, "Some people even listen to their astrologer!" Never mind, like so much in the summer, it must have been a rerun.

7/19
Traveling when Mercury is retrograde is always an experience. But nothing can be worse than losing one's trailer key in the Dallas Airport. To be fair, when Kinky Friedman once penned the wise reminder, "It doesn't matter if your destination is Heaven or Hell, if you're flying in Texas, you'll connect through Dallas..." Of course, he was referring to the Big DFW airport, a lesser ring of Hell, and I was stuck in the smaller, more quaint Dallas Love Field (Home of Southwest Airlines). So after a delayed flight, and after getting into Austin and finally collecting my gear, and after getting picked up, I get home to find myself locked out of the trailer. After calling everyone I know who has a spare set of keys, I finally get desperate and break in through the bathroom window. One of my friends helped with the operation, but I don't think I should name names, in the interest of protecting my sources. One set of keys didn't have a battery in her pager, and one set of keys is down fishing on the Gulf right now, and the management's office, which has a key to trailer as well, they weren't available on Sunday evening. It's not like they have problems at this time, either. A little "B & E" and I was home free, finally.

7/18
I did exercise, first thing yesterday morning. If I were given to flights of fanciful exaggeration, some hyperbole to fit with the story, my climb would've been close to a thousand feet up the near vertical face of a cliff. It was actually a little different, it about three or four hundred vertical feet, maybe a mile or two in distance, and I wasn't gone long. I did try numerous detours, but nothing seemed particularly attractive — I remember looking down one draw and realizing it was, in fact, a near vertical drop of a thousand (maybe just a hundred) of feet, and I decided the better part of valor was to stick to the easiest trails. The morning sun became a quick lunch in Ft. Davis (Blue Mountain Diner) then an afternoon touring the sights. I just hope I get the picture of me, in front of the big telescope, developed and scanned in — I'm pretty sure I'm one of the few astrologers who know which end of the telescope is up. If those pictures ever get developed, I've got real proof. Then, after this idyllic weather, a sudden thunderstorm blew through the area. Lightening, thunder, huge drops of rain, a wall of water, and then, later in the evening, a picture perfect night for star gazing. But I am real tired of one question, I heard all weekend long: "HEY, ARE YOU RELATED TO MARK WETZEL?" No. No relations. Know the guy, great last name, but no. We are definitely not related. He's an astronomer attached to McDonald's in Ft. Davis, and I'm an astrologer, not attached to any University system, except the one in Arizona, but that's only because I foolishly gave them alumni money once... but I guess that's a different story. Then there's the weather in Houston, and the green hills of the Davis Mountains. Waiting on the Houston weather, I heard a most interesting brag, "I've been using the INTERNET since 1989...."

7/17
It's standard to listen to my dear sweet, innocent and much maligned Scorpio mother complain about how unfairly she's being treated. It's another thing to let her edit anything. Flying for an hour, listening to them (both parents) on the planes, then a couple of hours in the rent car, I'm pretty sure my original comments stand. I spent some of that time trying to ascertain what the roots of her maiden name were, my dear sweet (and ever much abused) Scorpio mother always claims her heritage as "Scotch Irish." That's nice, but all I wanted to know was which one? Is it Scotch or is it Irish? Good, we've located a place — now, let's locate the correct plaid (for my next sport coat, don't you know). The weather in this part of Texas changes, as soon as the road turns from the Midland – Odessa – Pecos area into something that's rather magical. Coming out of the hotel, onto the deserted main street of Ft. Davis, there was the points of an incipient Virgo Moon nicely triangulated with Venus, also in Virgo. I talked a Leo into going out to look at the Marfa Lights, but owing to the climatic conditions, we spent a large portion of the evening, sitting in the car and pretending to see the lights. But I did gather some interesting bit of local color, and some of the tales have never been heard before. How about a hotel with this reminder? "Please do not clean game in bath tub" or "Gentlemen will remove hat in dining area" and the ever popular but somewhat cryptic, "Please remove skimasks before entering."

7/16
I keep two suitcase, always packed, always on the ready — I keep waiting for that big break, you know, some important talk show host calls me up (I'm not naming names, but Springer comes to mind), and then there's the hectic travel schedule I keep, too. It never fails, though, at the last minute, there's always something which I need to make sure I've got, so I have to shuffle the suitcase around, one last time. I was so looking forward to this coming weekend, my sister was going to join me for a weekend away from just about everything, and some time with the folks. She wimped out on me. Unbeknownst to me, she decided to work on some project instead. So I do get to go to west Texas, perhaps one of the more lovely spots on the planet, and I do get to stay in one of the highest hotels in Texas, but I'm going to be alone with my parents, bereft of the usual amenities that I desire, things like e-mail, voice mail, phones, and a chance to have an evening cigar while watching the bats feed on the bugs. I love my parents, but Ma Wetzel is a micro management specialist, and it looks like the whole weekend will be orchestrated. There's a sign up in my trailer's foyer, "Friends are always welcome, family by appointment only."

7/15
There's a trick I use with myself when Mercury is backwards, and it's a simple way to fool myself into thinking I got a lot accomplished — I look back and figure I did a lot even though not much was done. I know when the planets are in evil disarray, just like right now, there's just not a lot of hope. And I'm a good enough astrologer to know that I shouldn't be undertaking any new projects. I pounded out some slick new artwork for the updated pages I'm working on, and looking at it, I'm halfway done with my favorite sign, Scorpio, so tasks at hand are moving at a goodly pace. But it seems like time is crawling right now. It's Mercury. What did I do that was exciting? A hike around the lake? The best news was fishing a note, and it wasn't a form letter, out of the office mailbag — a major publication is at least looking at carrying an astrology column by me. It just goes to show that the biggest problem with astrology is astrologers.

7/14
I was returning from "doing lunch" at the closest and easiest place to grab a quick meal, and I stopped by the convenience store to load up on an afternoon drink, one of those buckets full of ice and Big Red. To think, I was promised rain today, and although there were a few skimpy clouds, it was mostly sun so I needed the drink. I got home, and I was just about to set the big drink (bucket of sugar, caffeine and ice) down when the plastic lid came off, and the whole mess landed on the edge of the coffee table, and suddenly, there was Big Red soaking into the carpet. I know shag carpet isn't in style anymore, but I figure if I just hold out long enough, and if I vacuum often enough, I could get this place in Better Homes and Garden, a premanufactured/mobile home edition. Something about the decor, with black velvet, Texas flags, and so forth adorning the walls. So I was about to set about cleaning up the mess of ice [and sugar and artificial color], when I saw the cat peering at me, then at the mess, and then back at me. I could hear her suggest in a single, plaintive meow, "Sure is a lot bigger mess than my last hairball."

7/13
My day was shortened by a number of seemingly disconnected events, things like a quick walk through of a friend's new house (she's a Virgo, like that's any surprise), "I know whereKramer was, he was peeing off the upstairs patio." To be honest, I did use the new bathroom in the new house, but I have to admit I was tempted to "leave my mark" off the upstairs arrangement. It's the weirdest thing I've seen in a long time, a carport, sort of detached from the house, and the carport looks like it could take a direct nuclear assault and still remain standing. That, and the roof opens up to the heavens, in South Austin, and all I can do is see the great potentials with that upstairs patio thing. It would be fun to pee off the side, water falling freely many feet to the backyard, but no, I didn't do it — not this time. Mercury is headed backwards right now, and knowing that, I suspended work on any upcoming columns for a while. But I didn't want to waste a whole three week period, so I was busy looking through old reference books, digging up celebrity birthdays to add to the already copious material I've got for each sign. There was problem, though, and it's the work of the Trickster, as soon as I edited the new stuff in, it the files were too big to be handled by the astrology software and choked. I had a number of computer loops yesterday which all lead to exactly no where. But the stuff will start popping up on the website soon.

7/12
I've been rather lucky with the rain, as of late. Two days in a row, I managed to get in a long hike, over seven miles on Sunday, and both days, there was rain before the trek — and after — but not during. So I got home, covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and I notice a degree of activity going on with my neighbor's trailer. "Dude, I need a hobby," the Neighbor told me, "and I think I'll start growing these houseplants." Someone had just given him a birthday gift and adorned his trailer with a multitude of little green growing things. Ficus, ferns, ivy, tropical looking things, pretty yellow flowers. "You don't need a hobby," I told him, "you need a girlfriend." "No," was his response, "because you don't go to jail for killing a plant."

7/11
So I missed the boat to Lockhart, and I'm sure I missed some tasty BBQ, too. In the absence of slow smoked animal parts, I did a long workout instead. I was pretty amazed, I kept glancing back over my shoulder as I was rounding the seven mile marker because there was a huge thundercloud approaching. I did get back into the trailer just before another brief rain blew through the area. I could see the wall of water drifting up, almost hugging the north shore of the river, but the weather held out long enough for me to make it home. It was one of those days when it alternates between gentle rain and sun. I was sure it was going to be a scorcher, but the gentle breeze which kept blowing up from the Southeast, following the contours of the river, kept me relatively cool for most of the day.

7/10
Lockhart, Texas: today's destination. I had breakfast tacos from Magnolia yesterday. That and a chilicheeseburger at "Texas Chili Parlor," which is certainly a decent destination, if not a fine culinary experience. The Neighbor and one of his girl friends hauled me out. I was still trying to grab a shirt so I wasn't too well dressed for the downtown crowd. However, at Texas Chili Parlor, I had to admit that the chili itself was rather good. Perhaps a little too much chili powder, but it was balanced out well with a hearty flavor and piquant burn. The first time I picked the burger up, a little bit of the chili squeezed out and plopped into the basket. I examined the piece of meat carefully before popping it in my mouth. It was tender piece of brisket rather than just some old and tired ground stuff. So the chili is rather good. Maybe the place does live up to the hype.

7/9
I gave the Fang Shooey thing one more try yesterday. I switched my desk around in the living room of the trailer — it's not like a single wide has a lot of room to begin with, nor are there a lot of options, but it was worth a try. Has it improved the "Chi" in the room? I don't know. My neighbor is pretty sarcastic about the new curtains so it might have improved the "chi–chi" effect, but that's all that's been affected thus far. But I'm a patient guy, I'll wait and see. The modem is now in a quieter place, and the cat has come back out from under the couch's new position, but she did let me know she was a little unhappy about the new arrangement, at first. I was worried about adding the Amazon.co.uk stuff the web site, but I figured I needed to see if I could generate enough revenue to pay for my British book–buying habit. At $30 (+) for a hardback delivered, it gets to be an expensive proposition, real quick. But the British publishers are usually more conscientious than the their American counterparts, the books are better, the paper is heavier, the execution of the cover art seems to be nicer. And then, there are a few books that I can only get over there, or so it seems. I still remember the first time I came across a novel that had a picture of Elvis with a General Electric machine gun (fearsome looking weapon), and I was amazed that the author managed to resurrect Elvis in the plot. Only some one from the British Isles could understand, or even make that plot device work.

7/8
I learned a really valuable lesson yesterday, it's a little Spanish expression on of my friends discussed over lunch. I was listening to her talk about the trials and tribulations of raising two teenage daughters. Having no first hand experience myself, I quickly explained that all my advice was book learned, or according to tradition, but it was certainly not from any first hand experience. Although, I did detect s a certain similarity to some of the trials and tribulations my own mother has experienced (and to Ma Wetzel's vexation, still to this day). The expression my friend had was this:

"Del dicho, al hecho
hay much trecho."

"From the cradle to the grave, life is treacherous?" I asked. "From what you say to what you do, there is a big trench." Or something like that. I guess it's a poetic expression in its native tongue, and all I know is it's easy to lecture about this stuff — raising kids — but it's hard to put it into practice, especially with one's own offspring. To cap it all off, we both reacted in a harsh way when she brought up the fact that he daughter thinks me and the mom are soul mates. Now, this girl's a Sagittarius (the mom, the daughter is a teenage Scorpio), and the Sag reacted in a typically Sagittarius way, she heard her daughter say those words, "soul mate," and I didn't hear from her for months, maybe years.

7/7
So much for "airport karma." "Coppula Eam Si Non Posit Acceptera Jocularum!" I found this as a sig file for someone else, and although I can't use it myself, I sure did find it to be a tasty message, at least, as near as I can translate myself. It just goes to show that anything said in Latin can sound erudite, which I suppose, is an important goal in life. Yessir, always wanted to sound like I knew what I was talking about. It's been "Houston" weather lately, and I noticed the thermometer on a bank building was registering a hundred degrees. With the humidity at about the same point mark, it's a rough time to spend any amount of time away from the air-conditioning. Too bad, too, because the mornings seem to be rather cool and delightful. I open up the windows, and let the breeze dance amongst the new lace curtains, making the little ruffles ruffled....

7/6
I suppose that there is some giant marker in the sky, a score keeper, and I'm earning points on my morning time because I was up before the sun to return a car. Sort of. The wheels go back today, and as one last good turn, I hitched the Neighbor to work at some ridiculous time. But not in enough time to get back to sleep and miss the airplane coming in. Got to work on my timing, and I guess it's some kind of "airport karma" or something along those lines. There are new curtains up in the trailer, finally, and it only took five or six trips to the department store to get the right combination of curtain rods, end pieces, mounting brackets and a cute lace pattern for the curtains themselves. But I am proud of my handiwork. Something to show for a weekend project.

7/5
When it comes to a big party, Austin can be the place. I was in the company of a Virgo and a Gemini (Bubba) along Congress Avenue yesterday evening, and it was the place to be. The cries went up as the sodden crowd cheered the fireworks on. And it was Bubba with his articulate observation about the traffic, "See: this is why I like Congress [Avenue Bridge]. Look, over there on First Street, the traffic is still moving. Here, everyone just stops." Imagine enjoying the pyrotechnical display with about a hundred thousand of your closest friends. What a way to party. And no Fourth celebration is complete unless there are some hot dogs done up on the grill. Yes, we had all that as a warm up to the party. Trekking in an eastward fashion made it easier to see the fireworks, the spot right in front of the trailer park wasn't exactly the right place to be, but it was, as a few friends discovered, the best place to park.

7/4
Happy Fourth of July. Pardon me if I sound a little cynical, but exactly what is this celebration about? Ah, who cares, it's party time, right? I got in a nice, long hike around the lake yesterday afternoon. I s'pose no trip out and about is complete without running into a few friends, and I barely got out of the parking lot before I was honked at by one girl, a Taurus, then a few blocks later, before I even got on the trail, another mystery (Sagittarius) woman, then, before I was done with my six miles, yet another one was there in a big red truck (must be a Virgo). I started paying rent here, at Shady Acres, for a spot to park a trailer, in June, three years ago. Last year I was doing to the weird "near death experience" and sequestered in a recovery room in Dallas. The year before, the old tenant hadn't moved off the trailer pad yet. But finally, three years later, I finally get to sit on my patio and watch fireworks. Going to be a good day.

7/3
It was backwards day, not quite, but almost. I got my morning work out of the way, and then, in panic, I had to hurry to get something dropped in the mail before 11:41 AM in order to keep a certain Virgo happy. Had to be mailed before that specific moment. Don't ask, you wouldn't understand. And although it looked like it was going to be a half day of work for a lot of my friends, it was full day for me, although, none of the work was really time consuming. I don't much mind shooting around town in a borrowed vehicle, but when I found myself pointed the wrong way on the street, I decided I had better go home and start all over. I was also trying to get my driver's license updated to a new address. The nice part about having a clean record for so long is that my last change of address was nothing more than a sticker on the back of the plastic. I wonder if that's what this will be, too? Now this is the part I don't understand — if I go down to the DPS office, stand in line, and try to do this in person, I have to have two forms of identification, and the old license. But if I do this via mail, they'll just mail the form, and that's all it takes. The price is the same. The amount of identification required, though, that changes. They'll just send it to me, and let me send them a check.

7/2
Robert Rankin is one of my all–time favorite authors. He can, pretty consistently, make me laugh out loud while I'm reading his stuff. I stumbled upon his work when I was in England, several years ago, and I always try to pick up his recent material when I can. There's something that a post–modern English author, perhaps it's a world–view, perhaps it's a sense of the absurd from a truly absurdist point of view, perhaps it's from all living on a small island for so long, or maybe this guy is just a true comic genius, but his work never ceases to amaze and delight me. Of course, there's a catch, and I suppose one of the most endearing qualities about his work is that it's got local color in it. It's just shot through and through with references to local events and that quaint British way of punctuating and spelling. That local flavor accounts for one of the reasons Rankin's work has never been a big seller over here. As Americans, we just don't get it. But as a Texan, I feel like I share the same weird set of references to space and time that Rankin's got. Or that his English readers have, for that matter. One of my main concerns right now is trying to translate a term that frequently occurs in his work: "It's an old charter or something" and this pops up as a running gag, especially when trying to explain why a character does something, or when a particular action is always repeated. "Why?" "Because it's an old charter or something..." But I'm at a complete loss as how to explain this to a North American audience. "It's written in an old Spanish Land Grant"? And yes, I did have lunch with yet another Virgo.

7/1
The Full Moon madness is just about over. Leastways, I hope so. And now we're just gearing up to the big BBQ day. I came across an interesting tidbit, and I was sharing this information with one Virgo, she wondered if the Catholics had a saint for every occasion. "I think so," was my answer, and I think it's fair to suggest that it's so. I'm doing further research, though. And what could be more appropriate than a saint for Charcoal Burners? His nomenclature is "Saint Theobald of Provins" and he did something miraculous with burning briquettes, apparently. It's an easy bet this fellow gets a lot of mileage at this time of the year, and especially for a decent Fourth of July party. Then, while I was at Sun Signs in South Austin, getting another banner made, I found out there's a Santa Elena Coffee which is 100% Arabica Bean from Chiapas. My next question, is this a real saint for coffee from that region, or is it just marketing ploy?

Index of older entries
© Kramer Wetzel, 1999