Have your squid and eat it, too.

[greygirlbeast]

A few minutes ago, Spooky said, "I think if the Crawling Chaos offered me an apple, I'd have to run the other way." Which makes quite a bit more sense if you've seen my "Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire" T-shirt (thank you, Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs), and I know you probably haven't.

Merry Cephalopodmas, one and all.

Yesterday, I read "The Jetsam of Disremembered Mechanics" to Spooky, and then tended to an awful lot of line edits. I think it's as good a story as it's ever going to be, so today I'll be sending it to subpress. By the way, this story will appear in an anthology of short stories inspired by the works of Robert Silverberg, edited by Gardner Doizois and Bill Schafer. Not sure of the publication date, but I'll post it when I know. My piece is a sort of "prequel" to Silveberg's Nightwings (1968, 1969). Also, yesterday I received the finished cover art for The Ammonite Violin & Others from Richard Kirk, and I'll post it here sometime in the next few days. It is truly, truly gorgeous. This is going to be a marvelous volume.

When work was done yesterday, Spooky and I bundled up and ventured out into the snowy world. Mountains of snow everywhere. We made it as far as the house at 599/597 Angell Street that was Deacon and Emmie's house in Daughter of Hounds. I'd not visited it since we moved here last summer, and, indeed, not since June 28th, 2004, when Spooky and I first happened upon it while I was researching the novel. It sits directly across the street from 598 Angell Street, where Lovecraft lived from 1904-1924. And after I took a few photos (below, behind the cut), we stopped by the market, then headed back home as the sun was setting.

Last night, we snacked on strawberry hamantashen and fresh Mandarin oranges and a huge tin of chocolate cookies, and watched a couple more episodes of Fringe. I rather enjoyed "August," no matter how blatantly the "observers" are ripped off from Dark City. And after that, there was WoW. We're fifty quests into the Borean Tundra (out of one hundred and fifty), and I really, really hate the region. After questing at Vengeance Landing and Dragonblight, it's just too disjointed and garish and noisy and hokey, too much like Outland, and I just want to be finished with it and get back to Dragonblight, which actually feels like a place. We both made Level 73. Shaharrazad has let her hair grow longer, what with the cold and all.

Sadly, there was very little in the way of Soltice ritual. I'm afraid that the whole "solitary practioner" thing just isn't working for me (I've been at it for five years now), and in the coming year I am going to make an earnest effort to either find or found a coven. I may even resort to WitchVox. There has to be at least one good GLBT-friendly coven in the area, one that isn't all fluffy bunnies and white-light nonsense.

Anyway, here are the photos from yesterday:





The house where, in my mind, Emmie and Deacon will always live (though, in my mind, it's not a duplex).



Emmie's bedroom is in the attic.





And just across the street, Lovecraft lived and wrote here, long ago...

All photographs Copyright © 2009 by Caitlín R. Kiernan.

Comments

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Also, I couldn't say how compatible your and Owl's Wicca would be. Maybe you two should chat.

Maybe. Though, from what I recall from our conversations a couple of years back, you might both find me a bit much to the "left-hand path" for your liking. I could be wrong.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Yeah, see, I'm rubbish talking about stuff like that. Mostly because I'm temperamentally too much a Buddhist to care much about dogma. Right-hand, left-hand, who cares, at least it isn't Scientology.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Yeah, see, I'm rubbish talking about stuff like that.

Well, that's good.

because I'm temperamentally too much a Buddhist

I have to ask here, and please do not be offended, what need then have you of "Wicca"?

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

'Need' would be too strong a word for it. 'Interest' is more precise, as well as respect for the rituals. Something in my genetic makeup prevents me from giving myself wholeheartedly over to any particular faith, which is why Buddhism, with its emphasis on non-attachment, appeals to me. Of course, to be a good Buddhist you ultimately have to be ready to say 'fuck Buddhism,' too.

But you asked about Wicca. I like that it honors male and female energies. I wish it would make the logical next step with that and not put those energies in opposition so binarily. Is that a word? I don't care. Anyway, 21st-century Wicca might really be something to see if it gets away from the 'male does this, female does that' thing. I'm taking the long view and looking ahead to the deconstruction of gender. It probably won't happen in our lifetime, but eventually it has to.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I'm taking the long view and looking ahead to the deconstruction of gender. It probably won't happen in our lifetime, but eventually it has to.

Assuming a certain progressive nature to this culture, and that this culture will survive into another century or three...very remotely maybe.

I don't think anything about our cultural evolution is a given at this point. There are too many variables.

Good answers, but I see, already, that we'd probably be at each others throats in ten minutes. I fear I will have this problem with everyone, which is precisely why I've never really tried to enter a coven.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

'I see, already, that we'd probably be at each others throats in ten minutes.'

Which is a nice way of saying 'I see, already, that I'd probably throttle your noncommittal Buddhist ass in ten minutes.'

'I fear I will have this problem with everyone, which is precisely why I've never really tried to enter a coven.'

Which is a nice way of saying 'I fear I will have this problem with you in particular, which is precisely why I've never really tried to find out where you live.'

S'okay, if you strangle me I'll just come back as a kangaroo or something.