I'm in Chicago!
Dec. 23rd, 2013 01:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sorcyressI am in Chicago! Yay!
(Okay, so technically I am just north of Chicago, in Park Ridge. But hell, it's probably closer to Chicago than Medford is to Boston, so wevs.)
Sparr and I flew out early-early-early on Saturday morning, doing the typical "arrive at the airport around midnight and hang out until security opens at 4:30, because fuck you Logan and also the T" thing. We managed to find a surprisingly boss place to spend the night --I got something that closely resembled real sleep, instead of the "wake up four times an hour" I normally get when I doze in airports.
Once we arrived and mum had picked us up, we almost immediately fell asleep on the couches, and stayed that way for about two hours until she went off to pick up Alys from the airport.0 I awoke enough to help collect the seester1, and spent the rest of the day puttering --helping mom get stuff done, mostly.
We also acquired a Christmas tree and named it Charizard.
Some small amount of _stuff_ was completed, and we finished off the evening by playing a game of Kingsburg (which I love very much). I made a couple dumb decisions, and so didn't _quite_ beat Sparr, but I had a lovely time (as I am wont to do with that game.)
It was all of ten PM when we finished, and I was _very_ exhausted, so I headed up to bed. Once I had settled down, I realized that we hadn't done anything for the solstice. Mum always does a ceremony, and me and Al had been invited to join her. I hauled myself back out of bed, resumed a pantsful state, and went outside to do ritual.
My mother and I are remarkably similar in a significant number of ways. One of those ways is our approach to religion, which is cemented by ritual, polytheism, and good humour. The three of us spread salt and earth, lit a candle, thanked and honoured many gods, sang, and recited passages relevant to the passage of the year.
I dipped my ankh in untouched snow and held it throughout the ritual (and have worn it solid since, through this day in which the sun returned), I added my own gods to my mothers, and I equipped my pockets with items of power. Fire and knife in one pocket, three cards from three tarot decks (all The Sun) in the other. When I went to bed, I created an alter of those things on the headboard, and slept with my main tarot deck2 beneath my pillow, as I ought.
(My tarot deck remains wrapped in cloth and bound with an old, and used, hair thing but I don't normally sleep with it. But tonight seemed special.)
I'd never set an alter before. I think it is a good thing, especially within temporaries, and it might be something I do again in the future. The idea works well with my mishmash of spirituality.
Anyways, all our nonsense and giggling worked, as the sun did rise and the days are returning to their former length and glory. Today, we got a very little bit done (but better than nothing, and lots of time has been spent in social with my family. Mum and Sparr and I went off to visit Pumping Station One --Chicago's hackerspace-- and hit up the American Science Surplus store (yayyyyy! We are going more tomorrow probably!) this late afternoon, and then returned home where we kidnapped her choir friend John and played lots of games! Kill Doctor Lucky, and Quirkle, and Something Different, huzzah!
Tomorrow is lots-of-shopping day, and hopefully mum and I will do some housecleaning and organization such to go to the post office. I'm going to bed soon, and unlike yesterday, will probably not be asleep for ten and a half hours. It's hard to tell though with my internal clock all slightly adjusted due to time zones.
Hope all of you are well also.
~Sor
MOOP!
0: Nik was already home. Mom had her WHOLE FAMILY for about 17 hours until dad went off to DC early this morning.
1: One of about eight trillion in-jokes between us involves saying "SEESTER" very loudly at appropriate (or not) times.
2: It's a Rider-Waite one, gifted to me by mum close to a decade ago. I also have the Andrew Hussie Homestuck tarot, and the major arcana of a home-drawn3 deck. Somewhere I have a medival set, or used to --I may be looking for that on this trip, since it's certainly not in Boston.
3: Draw tarot: take pencil to paper. Pull tarot: arrange cards before me in a ritualistic manner to focus my energy and thoughts towards the present or future.
(Okay, so technically I am just north of Chicago, in Park Ridge. But hell, it's probably closer to Chicago than Medford is to Boston, so wevs.)
Sparr and I flew out early-early-early on Saturday morning, doing the typical "arrive at the airport around midnight and hang out until security opens at 4:30, because fuck you Logan and also the T" thing. We managed to find a surprisingly boss place to spend the night --I got something that closely resembled real sleep, instead of the "wake up four times an hour" I normally get when I doze in airports.
Once we arrived and mum had picked us up, we almost immediately fell asleep on the couches, and stayed that way for about two hours until she went off to pick up Alys from the airport.0 I awoke enough to help collect the seester1, and spent the rest of the day puttering --helping mom get stuff done, mostly.
We also acquired a Christmas tree and named it Charizard.
Some small amount of _stuff_ was completed, and we finished off the evening by playing a game of Kingsburg (which I love very much). I made a couple dumb decisions, and so didn't _quite_ beat Sparr, but I had a lovely time (as I am wont to do with that game.)
It was all of ten PM when we finished, and I was _very_ exhausted, so I headed up to bed. Once I had settled down, I realized that we hadn't done anything for the solstice. Mum always does a ceremony, and me and Al had been invited to join her. I hauled myself back out of bed, resumed a pantsful state, and went outside to do ritual.
My mother and I are remarkably similar in a significant number of ways. One of those ways is our approach to religion, which is cemented by ritual, polytheism, and good humour. The three of us spread salt and earth, lit a candle, thanked and honoured many gods, sang, and recited passages relevant to the passage of the year.
I dipped my ankh in untouched snow and held it throughout the ritual (and have worn it solid since, through this day in which the sun returned), I added my own gods to my mothers, and I equipped my pockets with items of power. Fire and knife in one pocket, three cards from three tarot decks (all The Sun) in the other. When I went to bed, I created an alter of those things on the headboard, and slept with my main tarot deck2 beneath my pillow, as I ought.
(My tarot deck remains wrapped in cloth and bound with an old, and used, hair thing but I don't normally sleep with it. But tonight seemed special.)
I'd never set an alter before. I think it is a good thing, especially within temporaries, and it might be something I do again in the future. The idea works well with my mishmash of spirituality.
Anyways, all our nonsense and giggling worked, as the sun did rise and the days are returning to their former length and glory. Today, we got a very little bit done (but better than nothing, and lots of time has been spent in social with my family. Mum and Sparr and I went off to visit Pumping Station One --Chicago's hackerspace-- and hit up the American Science Surplus store (yayyyyy! We are going more tomorrow probably!) this late afternoon, and then returned home where we kidnapped her choir friend John and played lots of games! Kill Doctor Lucky, and Quirkle, and Something Different, huzzah!
Tomorrow is lots-of-shopping day, and hopefully mum and I will do some housecleaning and organization such to go to the post office. I'm going to bed soon, and unlike yesterday, will probably not be asleep for ten and a half hours. It's hard to tell though with my internal clock all slightly adjusted due to time zones.
Hope all of you are well also.
~Sor
MOOP!
0: Nik was already home. Mom had her WHOLE FAMILY for about 17 hours until dad went off to DC early this morning.
1: One of about eight trillion in-jokes between us involves saying "SEESTER" very loudly at appropriate (or not) times.
2: It's a Rider-Waite one, gifted to me by mum close to a decade ago. I also have the Andrew Hussie Homestuck tarot, and the major arcana of a home-drawn3 deck. Somewhere I have a medival set, or used to --I may be looking for that on this trip, since it's certainly not in Boston.
3: Draw tarot: take pencil to paper. Pull tarot: arrange cards before me in a ritualistic manner to focus my energy and thoughts towards the present or future.
no subject
on 2013-12-23 01:42 pm (UTC)Remind me to tell you about the time I had to sleep in the bushes outside an airport in NC.