July 18, 2008
Underachievers Please Try Harder
Camera Obscura
2004

( Sweet, mellow Scottish sextet Camera Obscura is edgy enough to be considered alternative but too playful and relaxed to be anything but porch-sitting best friends, no matter the implied scolding in the title of its album Underachievers Please Try Harder. )

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July 18, 2008
Compassionate Conduct
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope

( You may be highly attentive to the needs of others today and thoughtful in your personal and professional relations. )

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July 18, 2008
Reviving A Community Tradition
Storytelling

Ever since our ancestors could first communicate, we have gathered to share our stories. We have passed along creation tales and tragic stories of love lost. We have repeated accounts of real heroism and simple stories of family history. When our forebears lived closer to the land and to each other, the practice of storytelling was imbued with ritual and occasion. Members of the tribe would often gather around the fire to hear their genealogy recited aloud by an elder or master storyteller. Listeners could track how their own lives, and the lives of their parents, interwove with the lives of the other tribe members, as everyone’s ancient relatives once played out similar life dramas together.

As a custom, some cultures’ storytellers repeat the same tale over and over because they believe that each time you hear it, you come to the story as a different person and view the plot and characters in a new light. Hearing the story over and over is a way to gauge where you have been and where you are now on your path of personal evolution. It also helps the younger generation learn the stories so that they can pass them to forthcoming generations.

When we hear others tell stories, we can laugh at their humorous adventures, feel the thrill of exciting encounters, see parts of ourselves in them, and learn from the challenges they face. Though most of our formal traditions of storytelling are lost, it does not mean we have to be without. We can begin new practices in our own families of listening to one another, of honoring our own journey, and witnessing the journeys of those around us. We can revive the fireside communal by gathering around the campfire or hearth with family and friends, sharing in stories. By building new practices of storytelling, we give ourselves and the ones we love an opportunity to draw ever closer in our shared human experience.

gacked from racethewind10



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July 17, 2008
Release & Overcome
Snatam Kaur
2008

( Since childhood, kirtan singer Snatam Kaur was indoctrinated by her mother into a deeply spiritual lifestyle under the tutelage of Yogi Bhajan. )

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July 17, 2008
Comfort In Preparedness
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope

( You may be driven to make your life feel more secure today. )

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July 17, 2008
Actively Participating
Showing Up For Life

The way we walk into a room says a lot about the way we live our lives. When we walk into a room curious about what’s happening, willing to engage, and perceiving ourselves as an active participant with something to offer, then we have really shown up to the party. When we walk into a room with our eyes down, or nervously smiling, we are holding ourselves back for one reason or another. We may be hurting inside and in need of healing, or we may lack the confidence required to really be present in the room. Still, just noticing that we’re not really showing up, and having a vision of what it will look and feel like when we do, can give us the inspiration we need to recover ourselves.

Even if we are suffering, we can show up to that experience ready to fully engage in it and learn what it has to offer. When we show up for our life, we are actively participating in being a happy person, achieving our goals, and generally living the life our soul really wants. If we need healing, we begin the process of seeking out those who can help us heal. If we need experience, we find the places and opportunities that can give us the experience we need in order to do the work we want to do in the world. Whatever we need, we look for it, and when we find it, we engage in the process of letting ourselves have it. When we do this kind of work, we become lively, confident, and passionate individuals.

There is almost nothing better in the world than the feeling of showing up for our own lives. When we can do this, we become people that are more alive and who have the ability to make things happen in our lives and the lives of the people around us. We walk through the world with the knowledge that we have a lot to offer and the desire to share it.

So first off?

I finished my femgenficathon piece. Go check out Quietude, which is a piece about Alexis Barnes from The Sentinel. Yeah, I can't even begin to say how chuffed I am that this one came out this way. It's still not 100% what I'd planned, but it's way better than I'd expected...

And the rest of my summer's writing to do list?

• IDF stories -- I'm hoping to get 2 done
  
• licenseartistic -- July & August both
  
• doooooomm -- 08/01/08
  I'm considering doing something I haven't done in a long, LONG time for my taboo...with a totally fucking new pairing. Fear much!
  
• ncis_bigbang -- draft due 08/04/08 & final draft due 09/08/08
  Yeah, this bitch is gonna be the one to fucking work for... I'm pretty much equating this one with NaNo, y'all... *sighs*

And I still have to get stuff ready to go for Fragments of Sappho... Will be announcing that around the end of the month...

But srsly, go check out my femgenficathon piece. Please? I'm quite proud of it...

*does the happy Snoopy buttdance of Alex and Rachel lurve*

My show! My show! My show!

*ahem*

Yes, my full series of PtL is here. I'm currently watching "Black Widow" [2x2] and getting sucked back into my favorite universe ever. The eps have the shitty syndication intro/main credits, and I really miss Daniel J Travanti doing the voiceover in S2. *sigh*

But I have my show back. In all of its full 85 episodes glory. *squees*

July 16, 2008
Let's Make a Record
Sister Gertrude Morgan
2004

( She must have been quite a sight: An elderly black woman, paper megaphone in one hand and a tambourine in the other, singing her improvised praise songs on street corners, beckoning passers-by to come pray at her nearby Everlasting Gospel Mission. )

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July 16, 2008
Taking Charge With Optimism
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope

( You may feel particularly secure and confident today, especially if you are experiencing new situations and encountering challenges in the various spheres of your life. )

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July 16, 2008
Changing The Way We Relate
Making Over Our Partners

A relationship, in the truest sense of the word, means relating to another. Usually when we say that we relate to someone, it is because we’ve found common ground. But part of relating is finding ways to make ideas that seem different come together. So often when we choose relationships, we try to fit another person into our predetermined ideal. When they don’t fit perfectly, we may try to make them over, creating our own vision from the raw material they’ve brought. But unless someone asks for guidance and direction, entering into a relationship with someone we want to change is dishonest. Then our relationship becomes with someone we’ve imagined, and anytime our partner steps outside of that imaginary projection, we will be disappointed. An honest relationship is one in which we accept each other as whole individuals, and find a way to share our life experiences together. Then, whenever we want, we can choose as a couple to give the relationship a makeover by renewing the ! way we interact.

By wanting to give another person a makeover, we are basically saying we don’t accept them for who they are. If we take a moment to imagine the roles reversed, we can get a sense of how it would feel if our beloved only committed to us because they thought we were, or would become, someone else entirely. In such an environment, we are not relating to each other from a real place, and we are keeping ourselves from being able to learn and grow from the different viewpoints that our partners offer.

If we feel that a change is needed in our relationship, the only makeover that we truly have the power to make is on ourselves. By accepting our partners for exactly who they are—the ideal and the not-so-ideal—we will create an energetic shift in our relationships, and we may find ourselves really appreciating our partners for the first time. Working from within, we determine how we relate to the people and the world around us, and when we can accept it and embrace it all, without conditions, we make every act of relating a positive one.

July 15, 2008
Weather Systems
Andrew Bird
2003

( The world of music is filled with journeyman performers, artists who jump from project to project, recording their own work and collaborating with others in equal measure. )

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July 15, 2008
Knowing How They Feel
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope

( Sympathetic feelings could inspire you to seek out opportunities to help people today. )

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July 15, 2008
A Bad Habit
Being Hard On Ourselves

One of the key components of human consciousness that most of us need to address and change is our tendency to be hard on ourselves. We do this in ways that are both overt and subtle, and half the work sometimes is recognizing that we are doing it at all. For example, if we find it difficult to graciously accept compliments, this is probably a sign that we tend to be hard on ourselves. Other ways in which we express this tendency include never feeling satisfied with a job well done, always wanting to be and do better, and getting mad at ourselves for getting sick. Getting mad at ourselves at all indicates that we need to rescue ourselves from our learned ability to be unkind to ourselves.

In essence, when we are hard on ourselves, we send our bodies the message that we are not good enough. Whenever we do this, we do damage that will need to be addressed later, and we sap our systems of much-needed energy. Being hard on ourselves is a waste of precious time and energy that we could use in positive ways. To begin to understand how this works, we can think about times when someone made us feel that we weren’t good enough. Even just thinking about it will create an effect in our bodies that doesn’t feel good. We may be used to the feeling, but when we really tune into it, we instinctively know that it is not good for us on any level.

Like any bad habit, being hard on ourselves can be a challenging one to release, but the more we feel the burden it places on us, the more motivated we will be to change. At first, just noticing when we are doing it and how it makes us feel is enough. As our awareness increases, our innate impulse toward health and well-being will be activated, moving us out of danger and into a more positive and more natural relationship with ourselves.

Title: Thirty Minutes
Author: A. Magiluna Stormwriter
Author’s Email: stormwriter@shatterstorm.net
Pairing: Susan/Talia
Rating: PG13
Date: 3-4 July 2008
Word Count: 1855
Written for: oldschoolfic
Recipient: newbie_2u
Prompt: Heav'n has no rage like love to hatred turn'd / Nor Hell a fury, like a woman scorn'd
Summary: It's been six months since Susan saw Talia. Will Talia be successful in taking over her mind and body again?
Sequel to: Hope
Spoilers: This takes place a couple of years after Control was discovered.
Warning: Established lesbian couple. Don't like it? Don't read it.

Disclaimer: “Babylon 5,” the characters and situations depicted are the property of J. Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Productions, Warner Brothers, etc. They are borrowed without permission, but without the intent of infringement. This story is in no way affiliated with "Babylon 5,” J. Michael Straczynski, the production companies, or any representatives of Claudia Christian or Andrea Thompson. This story contains content between two mature, consenting adult females.

Disclaimer 2: The title and lyrics used in the story as section breaks are from the song "30 Minutes" by t.A.T.u. The lyrics were borrowed without permission, but without the intent of infringement.

Author's Notes: I don't write for this couple often enough…And I really do adore them, especially Susan… *heh* And honestly? When I got this prompt, I giggled muchly. And while my story may not exactly follow the prompt given to me, I still think it works. And I hope my recipient likes it…

Author's Notes 2: Anything in italics is thought, not said. Or is a section breaker.

Dedication: my muses, as always…

Beta: laylat

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"Thirty Minutes"
By A. Magiluna Stormwriter


( It's been six months since that fateful meeting with Talia. )