A good day? Here's hoping...
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Life Goes On
I'm going to be honest and say that (excluding Monday) this has been one of the shittiest weeks I've had in a while. Will today be better? So far, so good. Then again, I wouldn't want to tempt fate too much. At least my daily cards look good. I got:
* Something I need to know - Le Soleil (Sun)
* Why it's important - 4 de Bastons (4 of Wands)
* Advice - 3 d'Epees (3 of Swords)
I took that to mean that I'll find a way to deal with all the recent annoyances, and that they will help me discover what makes me shine. There's also high potential for fun with friends. These things are important because they will help me to manifest my passions and to be confident enough to use my intuition to help me on my path. The 4 shows 2 lovely fully blossomed flowers and leaves coming out from the Bastons. I feel like that shows the great potential. The 3 d'Epees is telling me to plan, plan, plan and to get it in writing. I think it's telling me to get a good understanding of what it is that I want and to work toward it. It's telling me to integrate my thoughts with my goals. No discouragement and self-sabotage. Looks good, no?

Since I know that my job will be ending, I don't really feel like getting much done at work. I had motivation problems before, but now they're ten times worse. Why bother when I'm not going to reap the benefits or even get to see the results?

This weekend I'm starting my new job search in earnest. It won't help my motivation (and slight bitterness) issues, but it will help me see my immediate future in a more positive light. Hopefully, it'll also land me a job I want. I'm trying to break into the publishing biz, which will be challenging, but ultimately fruitful.

Seems to be a brain diarrhea day, but hey, mental diarrhea is better than an overall shitty day. Certainly more interesting.

Sigh...
Topic: Life Goes On
These have been an interesting last few days. Mostly, they've involved being overwhelmed with annoying details. Today, I found out that the temp job I'm working will be ending on April 11th. Of course, temp jobs by their very nature do end, but for this one, I had a decent chance of being hired perm. However, they created an entirely new position (and didn't even consider me for it). I mean, the job itself isn't that fabulous, but I really do love the people here. Oh, well. At least the definite and still decently future end date will give me time to look for something else.

I'm trying to look at this as my opportunity to find a job that I love. I really hope that it turns out to be exactly that.

A New Course of Study
Mood:  bright
Topic: Life Goes On
Don't let me excite you too much. This new course of study is entirely personal and not related to school. I guess you could say that it's related to my career, seeing as how I read tarot once a week. Still, the impetus is personal.

Anyway, what the hell am I rambling on about?
I'm learning how to read with historical decks, more specifically the Tarot of Marseilles.

What makes this deck so deliciously difficult is it's differences from the RWS deck, which most people learn with. In many cases, the major arcana have similar meaning, but the differences are subtle and sublime. The minor arcana aren't scenically illustrated, which makes them a challenge to use in a reading, but I suspect that mastery will reveal just as many subtleties as the major arcana. The almost childlike simplicity of the artwork shouldn't fool you into thinking that there's nothing to this deck. Look into it. I'm sure you'll find the experience as rewarding as I am.

Here is a good link to get you started:
Kris Hadar's Webpage. Kris Hadar has published his own version of the Marseilles, and gives free lessons on his site. I've found his writing to be clear and helpful.

There is also a Marseilles subforum on Aeclectic Tarot Forum.

More links and hopefully more insights to come. I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface but that great wisdom lies beneath.

Help me get a free iPod!
I am trying to earn a free iPod. All I have to do is have 5 friends sign up for an offer. The offers won't cost you much, and helping me out will not stop you from getting your own free iPod.

Click here to help me out.

Pretty please?

Revamp
I have decided to revamp a little to make my tarot reviews more accessible. I have created a seperate page for them in Tarot Turret. Click here to go to the new Tarot Review Index page. I have also posted a new review. To keep up with the posting of new reviews, please check out the What's New page.

Charmed Season 1 DVD Set
Topic: TV on DVD Reviews
Finally it's out! Fans have been waiting years for Charmed to come out on DVD. Was it worth the wait? Yes.

This DVD set contains all 22 first season episodes. Want to know the whole premise of the show? The answers are here. We follow the Halliwell sisters - Prue, Piper and Phoebe - from when they suddenly receive magical powers. Prue is telekinetic, Piper can freeze time, and Phoebe can see the future through premonitions. Not only do they receive magic powers, but they also discover that they come from a long line of witches and are the Charmed Ones, prophesied to be the most powerful good witches ever. I adore the supernatural elements of the plots, and there is a lot of that as the sisters discover how to use their powers, but what makes the first season really strong are the sisterly dynamics. Although the sisters have magic powers, they still act like normal sisters. They steal each others' clothes (and sometimes boyfriends), they argue and tease, and they confide in each other. The family element is what grounds the show and keeps it from being too over the top with the supernatural. I personally think that the sisterly dynamic became totally overwhelmed by the supernatural in later seasons, but it's still here at this early stage of the series. Sure, there's some rampant cheesiness, but season 1 has a lot of good solid episodes.

Some of the best episodes in this season are:
- "Something Wicca This Way Comes": The first episode ever, this really creates a firm foundation for the series. We learn a lot about the sisters and see them get their powers.
- "The Truth Is Out There And It Hurts": Prue casts a Truth Spell so the sisters and everyone speaking to them has to tell the truth. Hilarity ensues.
- "The Witch Is Back": The sisters summon their ancestor to help them defeat a warlock from her time. It's really neat to see the sisters interacting with their ancestor.
- "That 70s Episode": The girls go back in time to when Prue and Piper were young and Phoebe was still in the womb. They get to see their younger selves as well as getting to see their mother again (she died when they were young).
- "Love Hurts": Leo is injured and Piper needs to find a way to save him. Great acting by Holly Marie Combs (Piper).

The only real stinker is "Thank You For Not Morphing." All of the guest actors are horrible, including the actor playing the sisters' dad. Here was a great opportunity to explore more Halliwell family dynamics, but this actor plays him as a total asshole. The good news is that they later use a different actor to play the girls' father.

The packaging for the set is pretty nice. The 6 DVDs are each enclosed in their own thin case with different photos on front that match the photo on the actual DVD. I haven't yet decided whether or not I like this packaging better than the foldout packaging on other sets (like Buffy and Angel). It is convenient to be able to pull out only one of the DVDs at a time. However, they're all the same except for saying different disc numbers. At first glance, it's sometimes hard to pick out the one you want. Maybe using different colors would help.

There is one major problem with this DVD set: there are no extras whatsoever. The discs only contain the episodes (except for some annoying previews on disc 1). There are no featurettes, commentaries, interviews, etc. Although I'm glad to have the episodes to watch, I would have liked a little something more. Hopefully, they'll put some extras on the Season 2 set, which should be coming out in May.

Overall, this is a good DVD set, and a must-have for every Charmed fan. I only wish there were extras.

Current Tarot Top 10
Topic: Tarot Reviews
Well, the other night I thought it would be amusing to write up my own personal top 10 of tarot decks. Then I found a recent post on Aeclectic Tarot Forum asking the same thing. But first, some caveats: This is a list of the moment and will change as my collection and use of said collection changes. Also, although I found it easy to think of 10 decks I really love, it was really hard to assign rankings to them. They're all special in their unique way.

Now, without further ado, the list:

1. Morgan-Greer: groovy 70s-esque artwork and high usability
   
2. Triple Goddess: lovely feminine artwork; this is one of the few decks that speaks to me in a clear voice; used for deeper, more spiritual questions
   
3. Fey: innovative without losing traditional card meanings; playful but deep
   
4. Lovers Path: gorgeous artwork and packaging; sumptuous and reader friendly
   
5. Druidcraft: has one of the hottest Lovers cards I've ever seen; fabulous imagery and symbolism; great for pagans
   
6. Housewives: hilarious and kitschy without losing meaning; fun yet insightful
   
7. Gilded: rich jewel-toned cards that are easy to read with; a client favorite
   
8. Spiral: another client favorite; great artwork and easy reading
   
9. World Spirit: one of my first tarot deck loves; bright colors and bold lines make this a stunning and straightforward deck
   
10. Vertigo: hey, I paid a lot of money for this out of print beauty and it's worth every penny; hauntingly lovely artwork
    

The Housewives Tarot by Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum
Topic: Tarot Reviews
This is an absolutely charming deck, which was created in the style of the 1950s. The cards are campy and often side-splittingly funny, but the theme and the tongue-in-cheekiness don't stop this deck from being a quite usable reading deck. The meanings are still clear despite the humor.

One of my favorites is the Devil card, which depicts (what else?) a devil's food cake with frosting horns, hot legs and a cigarette. Surrounding this sexy devil are implements of addiction. There is no mistaking what this devil is about. This card is a perfect example of how humor and clear meaning have been combined. Likewise the Star, which shows a proud housewife holding up her prizewinning pie, a huge smile wreathing her face. It's so cute, and you can't help but share her sense of accomplishment.

Another thing that I like about this deck is that it doesn't make the swords suit full of depression and horrors. They approach it in a more balanced fashion without losing the impact. For example, the 5 of Swords depicts scissors and needles and a dress that looks like a paperdoll cutout. The accompanying book explains: "You should acknowledge and accept your limitationsand focus on goals that are actually within your reach. Your perfectionist nature may be working against you." This is a far cry from the traditional RWS image and meaning of desperate defeat; yet it presents a rich meaning anyway. When this turned up in a spread that I did about my finances, I got much more insight than if I had gone with the doom and gloom meaning.

I'll end with the part that you will see first - the packaging. The packaging on this deck is absolutely wonderful and artfully continues the theme. The deck is housed in a recipe box, complete with recipe cards for Major Arcana, Minor Arcana and booklet. The backs of the cards have recipes, such as Divinated Eggs. When you pull off the top of the box, you'll find that the bottom part has 50s style advertisements for the Housewives Tarot on the side. There are even testimonials! The packaging is high quality and continues the deck's theme with skill and humor. I hope that this trend of a complete package for a deck (also seen in the Lovers Path Tarot - reviewed below) continues. I enjoy having boxes that I actually want to display on my shelf.

You can get a free reading with the Housewives Tarot at the website, and you can also download cute desktops.

I highly recommend this deck for 50s memorabilia lovers, tarot collectors, and anyone who likes a good laugh and some cleverness. This is a great deck, and at a retail of $15, it's a steal.

Stats:

• RWS ordering of majors - Strength is 8, Justice 11
  
• Cards are of medium cardstock, sturdy but easily shuffled; new cards are a little slippery; standard deck size
  
• Illustrated minors
  
• Suits retain the traditional names, but the objects depicted are a little different: Cups are martini glasses, Wands are household implements like brooms and mops, Pentacles are plates, and Swords are pins and scissors
  
• Companion booklet included with deck
  
• Reversible backs
  

Topic: Life Goes On
I just spent a wonderful weekend with my boyfriend. We went to Arisia, a sci-fi/fantasy convention in Boston. Originally, the plan was to spend only Saturday there, but the snow forced us to stay until Monday morning. There are certainly worse places to be stuck. We met some interesting people, saw cool things, and bought even cooler things. He bought a kilt (yummy!) and I bought a beautiful corset and coronet. I have no idea why, but the corset makes me feel absolutely beautiful. Maybe I'll be nice and put some pics up. :-)

Oh yeah, I got to change the jewelry in my tragus piercing too. I'm back to the barbell and I'm much happier with it.

Reviews coming real soon - like tonight.

Topic: Life Goes On
Well, I had a very nice holiday off, and things have been pretty slow ever since. So why haven't I posted lately? Let's be honest. I'm a lazy creature. ;)

I spent a whole week at my parents house over the holiday. It was a very nice break. Then I spent New Years at my house with my friend Nena. We did New Years tarot readings. Things look pretty good although there's a 3 month span with all Swords - including the 3 and the 9. We'll just have to wait and see what happens...

Recently, I lost one of my sweet little goldfish. Cleetis got some kind of swimbladder infection. Poor little thing was swimming upside down. A few days later, I picked up a new baby fish. I still miss Cleetis, but the tank just looked too weird with only 2 fish in it. The new fish is a moor, which means he's got the weird pop eyes and he's all black. I named him Sutekh, Devourer of Souls, but mostly he just goes by Jimmy. He's really small compared to my other two! I hadn't realized how much my older fish had grown since I got them.

In other news, the store where I'd been reading tarot on weekends went out of business just before Christmas. No worries, though. I recently started working on Sundays at another store. Sometimes I also fill in on Saturdays when the other gal can't make it. I'm happy to be doing the job I love again.

For Christmas, I treated myself to the Housewives Tarot. It's a scream, but it's also quite usable as a reading deck. Look for a review soon.