Gatsby, Games & Fans

I've been reflecting upon The Great Gatsby since I saw the movie in 3D on Tuesday...reflection is a multi-purpose word when talking about this latest and extremely noteworthy cinematic adaptation.  It's not my intent to write a review here - just a few thoughts blogged.  I went with my Mom, cousin and a friend expecting a lot from Gatsby and I got even more than I expected - truly the book is like a poem, beautifully written, deep and high...and the movie was like this poem brought to life.  Everything shone, reflected...surfaces glittered - even more than in the actual 1920's because literally I don't think they had the type of polish we have now for those fantastic cars, like mirrors.  Absolutely beautiful, dreamy, totally art.  The parties, dancing, costumes, scenery... 3D heaven.

Acting was mysterious & absorbing chemistry by Leo, Tobey, Carey, and Joel and all supporting cast.   We loved the movie except I couldn't stop thinking about the ending all the next day and thinking "why?".  I know Leo stated in the press he wanted to honor the book.  Why oh why at the end did Jay Gatsby's father not attend the funeral as Fitzgerald had written in the book?!  This ending is integral to the story. It's part of the theme - Jay helped his father - bought a house for him (not the mansion, a different house), Jay Gatsby wanted to better himself... understood & gratefully acknowledged by the father.  A father's approval is important...this is part of the Great Gatsby love story.  Hence, to me, this perfect poem of a book is brought to life like a beautiful dance where someone stumbles at the end.  The ending mood of the movie is totally a different one from the book.  I'll never know why they chose to leave out a few crucial minutes to explain the father's role.  Anyway maybe there were father/son issues with people involved in writing screenplay or directing or whatever.  I can't dwell on it - the movie was brilliant all & all.

Turning now to sports "old sport" like Gatsby would say, I have one thing to say.  It's hard to be a fan.  Someone mentioned this to me a few days ago.  I agree.  Everyone is a fan of someone or some team...all the way up to their own god.  Watching hockey for years,  I like to express myself instantly watching different exciting moments.  Wherever we get our inspiration is good - we can be superfans, fly the flag, wear the jersey, phone or text each other at intermissions and talk about specifics, then put down the phone and watch the next period.  We can yell, we can scream - we can walk around zombie-like in disbelief and dejection when our team the Canucks are eliminated in a 4 game sweep, then revisit that emotion like deja vu when another Canadian team, the Habs, are eliminated , then revisit the emotion briefly when Toronto Maple Leafs blow a 3 goal lead in the last period.  I know of famous musicians (and others) who go through super elated highs and severe lows with their team.  They want to be inspired.  To those famous ones I ask...please understand your fans.  If they express themselves with too much passion, forgive them...for to them you are a symbol of hope and joy.. If they persist too vividly and intrusively, show them a moment of kindness, please, then move on.  I say this in response to a news article I read - I won't mention names.  It's hard to be famous, but it's hard to be a fan, too.  Love is all.

To complete my blog I include two flower pics - the first one is May 15th.  The irises were in full bloom on the 12th and I don't have a closeup - I was too mesmerized by their beauty that day - Mother's Day.  My sister gave a small clump of tubers to plant several years ago - they create a bigger area and bloom more & more each year...and she was a mother, too.  My dear departed sister's irises...scented sweetly with memories.

And here is my one Queen of Night below, a purple black tulip - the only one to bloom this year in a patch of 6 bulbs.  Symbolic to be the only one...still, I transplanted the other bulbs to rootless soil.  This blossom opened on May 5th and tonight this Queen is more beautiful and dark, aloft on a tall stem, supported by a slender twig and guarded by a delicate spider.

To my flower ladies, fold soft dark petals across your hearts against black night, and open again to live with me in tomorrow's light.

Happy Victoria Day weekend!  Go Ottawa Sens...?...!!

May Days Muse

Today was a patio lounging day in the afternoon while I enjoyed a frozen fruit homemade slushie and read "The Great Gatsby" paperback obtained from a used book store around the block and down the street.  I remember reading the book back in 1974 and seeing the movie starring Robert Redford & Mia Farrow around that same time.  The new movie coming out next week will be great to see!

Only really good books interest me - I've tried the phase of reading best sellers women in book clubs rave about but I can't get past a few chapters before being bored or getting sleepy.  Also I feel a bit disheartened when some books in today's publishing market get so much attention and they are not imaginative or well written, the authors are popular because they get a lot of support from big publishing conglomerates, and my book can't find a space in this market so far because it's different.  I'll keep trying to find an agent who sees what I'm doing.

I'm watching Canucks vrs Sharks NHL playoffs.  It's nice to have this new HD tv as a gift from my uncle a few weeks ago. My old tv was over 20 years here but it was still good - so rarely is it on, sometimes 2 weeks go by in hockey off-season without the set turned on except for movies.  When Uncle was here for his cataract surgery, staying at my house, he talked me into getting this new flatscreen, and that was very kind of him to offer to buy it for me - 24 inch screen is all I want and it's very clear - I'm liking watching hockey even more now!

 I can't say how the Canucks will do. We'll see.  The great 1994 season - so thrilling that post season was!  How they got to the Cup finals, how they got to Game 7, how they lost...it was so close.   Teamwork was everything that Cup run, and we had a superstar to inspire all.  Here's Pavel Bure's top 10, some of the best goals were as a Canuck.

 Even 2011 was not the same, thrillwise, as '94.  Yes, they got to the finals in 2011 but somehow the writing was on the wall all the way, even though fans desperately hoped.  We just couldn't get past the incredible Boston goaltender that year, except for a few goals.  Again, close but no cigar as they say.

I watch...as a lifer fan we can wish and dream.

Wild Violets & Candy Wrappers

Part of my reality is finding signs and omens - a helpful, mysterious picture of nature that exists on an elevated level which we should perceive in order to learn.  On Saturday, April 13th (does that date mean anything to you?) I was walking along near a field and I saw masses of blooming wild violets, one of my most special Spring flowers.  Actually, I hunt them by scent -  perfume precedes their appearance.  So fragrant and delicate...and to think some people destroy them as garden weeds!  Bad karma doing that.  A garden is blessed with wild violets.  Only few varieties of butterflies and moths receive nourishment from these tiny flowers.

They were growing in thriving green grass so instead of searching around to pick each stem, I wrapped my hand around a clump, grass & all, and picked them.  My place is down the road a short distance so I held them like that until I got home and put them on my kitchen counter for a few seconds while I filled a tiny purple vase with water and a penny in the bottom, for copper nutrients.

When I separated the violets from grass, a piece of paper was crumpled up among them.  I unwrapped this paper after placing the flowers in the vase.  It was a candy wrapper, blue and yellow.  The Spanish name "Espanto" was in big letters, (which means fear or fright I translated on Google later).  With a magnifying glass as the letters were worn, I deciphered print on the side "Argentina" and under "Espanto" I made out part letters of  "Halloween"!  Here's cell phone pics taken that day.

A candy wrapper of a Halloween candy from Argentina picked up with the only bunch of violets I chose in that field...a powerful sign.

Now what does it mean as an omen?   Could mean many things - up to me to choose the message.

April Day, Emerald & Grey

"When that April with his showres soote....
Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne,
And smale fowles maken melodye...."

Geoffrey Chaucer - The General Prologue - The Canterbury Tales - written 1386, Middle English

I'm back with some of my April cheer!  Fresh is the air, and nitrogen infuses new plants to shine crystal emeralds in their dewy leaves.  Silver are the drops that fall through brightening rays, and all life sings sweet songs.  I want to share some of my favorite songs - besides Led Zep my religion lol! - with you and describe back stories about why I love these tunes.

I'll start with a song by ABBA.  I love the line "I don't want to talk".  That phrase sums up a lot for me sometimes.  After "The Winner Takes It All" this blog becomes more uplifting...to show anyone how to rise from the doldrums of despair to happiness and optimism...really!!

Next, in a tribute to my sister who passed away, I have several favorite Beatles songs.  My sister brought her first Beatles records when I was just a little kid - I learned much about music from her- forever grateful.  When I heard John Lennon wail about his woman crying ...I felt so grown up and mature - because I totally understood..."This Boy"

Around the same era, 1964, my sister had Beach Boys albums...and they are truly uplifting all the time.  I am a  West Coast girl with a capital W and these boys embody all that's good about California spirit!  Their lyrics include place names all up the coast, style is described and the mood is fresh as ocean breeze!  After this song, I grew up appreciating a tan, going in the water, wearing harachi sandals and having a bushy blonde hairdo!  Life altering...here's "Surfing USA!".

Since my recent trip to Maui, I have a new love for the ocean and admiration for the history of surfing.  John Heath 'Doc' Ball was tremendously influential in the growth of surfing in California.  In 1929 when he started riding the waves there were only around 20 surfers in the USA.  They got the idea from Hawaiians, particularly the famous Duke Kahanamoku, surfing legend, who reintroduced this ancient sport of royalty from Hawaii to mainland America.

Doc Ball should not be forgotten, ever.  His story in part is below.  Check the link, please!

http://files.legendarysurfers.com/surf/legends/ls07.shtml

Now, aren't you feeling happy?!  I am - enjoy the Spring!!

East Star

I love Easter - always have...it's my fave modern holiday.  Yes, I understand enough theology to know & appreciate the significance of death and resurrection - and I'm grateful for all books including the bible.  Whatever is comforting - any knowledge is good.  If people would study before they speak about life & death we would have a better world.  In my constant search for origins of our beliefs, I came across some literature a long time ago - so here it is to share with you.

The Empress, Trump card #3 in the Tarot deck sits with The Papess (yes, there were female popes) Trump Card #2.  The Papess is known in more recent times as The High Priestess, of the moon.  The Empress is a spirit of Springtime and creation.  She is 'All-Mother' or 'The Lawgiver'  Her ius naturale or natural law governed matriarchal societies in ancient Latium.

Tarot Trump cards are paired, first with last, second with second last and so on.  Why?  Unknown reasons but any theories are always good!  The Empress wears a crown of stars (count them - everything in Tarot is for a symbolic reason)and corresponds to The Star, Trump card #17.

There are older names the Empress had - one was Ostara, who was the same Goddess Eostre that gave her name to Easter.  When we talk about stars, endless possibilities come into focus, literally.  We are talking about stars rising on the horizon in astrology, and star constellations & their myths in astronomy.  We are talking about space & cosmic travel, perhaps advanced civilizations who are waiting for us to either heal our planet through love, or watching us as a failed experiment as we destroy ourselves and Earth.

If we keep our minds open and combine everything using logic, deduction and imagination we can see there's so much to learn about Easter.  I like to think of Jesus dying for us...and I believe he was the son of a god, he knew much of ancient Orphic mysteries and he knew how to use the forces of natural law.  He was not just a magician as some people recently claim - he was a genius speaking in parables.  I believe he walked among men and tried to show them what he knew about love.

I believe everything has to do with light & stars.  Rays & angles of reflection.  Heat & life. I believe everything has to do with love.  Easter is a beautiful time, the first Sunday after a full moon.  What a wonderful pagan concept!  The silver moon.  Wild violets are just starting to blossom and their scent is in the air. Lambs are being born.  Do you know the only word that rhymes with 'silver' in the English dictionary is 'chilver'?  A chilver is a female lamb. Mysteries of life abound.

Happy Eostre!!

 A Faberge Imperial Egg for you, given to the Empress many years ago!  Sail on & happy journeys...still thinking of going back to Maui and getting a condo there away from Canadian winters!

St. Pat's & Druids in trees

According to my  sources, St. Pat lived very close to the Druids and much of symbolism originated in paganism long before he was born.   A shamrock is trefoil, used in Tarot, sign of Wands and as meanings of Tarot are obscure as the deck is of unknown origin, we've lost the symbolism and can only use what limited info we have from every source.  More importantly we have to use our imaginations.  Why?  To help Earth.  "Do no harm" is a mantra.

 Later, Wands became Clubs in a standard deck to this day.  The shamrock corresponds to number three, which is a trine in astrology, triple goddess in paganism and Holy Trinity in modern religion.  Basically, a trine is harmonious angles and perhaps perpetual motion, which perhaps involves a smooth way of travelling through the cosmos.  A triangle is pyramids.  Speaking of a Trinity, what a coincidence the new Pope is from Argentina and a big fan of San Lorenzo, like Viggo M!  This is a cool connection,   How do I know what's to be?  Who knows, I follow the signs of nature, like in LOTR.

  I hope Pope Francis took the name partly because of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and environment.  Our world's animals need help, as does our environment.  Please help in any way you can - if you must eat meat (and I don't see why), do your health a favor and choose farm raised organic, not factory farmed.  Okay, I'll step off the soapbox...just saying!

What does all this mean about St Pat's?  Everybody's right, nobody's wrong!  We all modernize the deck we're dealt with and play it our way...but I like to think of  magic and druids.  To me all that lost knowledge holds the key to our existence.  I love to be in a place, physically and mentally, that's healthy and harmonious angles. Every myth began as reality...so I continue to have myths as a basis of my reality.

I'm learning much about the myths of Hawaii.  Here's a tree near a beach in Kihei, Maui when we were there  a couple of weeks ago. It was at one of those many beautiful beach areas where you can just park a car nearby and go for a swim in the ocean!  In the background is a changeroom. There are so good things of nature to notice in Maui.  You can almost see a spirit and faces of this big lovely tree.

Good to know Robert took a hol in the islands before his gigs down under... Here's a vid for you.

But really...who will champion MsMerlina?  Lancelot?  I love the tale of Le Morte d'Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory..

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Mahalo & Aloha...

I'm back now - although part of me is still in Maui, Hawaii...in my dreams, thoughts and inspiration as I walk through sleet & chill of late winter here in this B.C. valley.  Spring is approaching in my neighborhood and new green shoots of tulips help me to think ahead...but Spring here isn't what it was in the days of my youth.  Back then it was a tourist/orchard & sparkly lake area - now, especially now after Maui...I'm not sure what this place in the Okanagan B.C. is - definitely city planning wasn't with thoughts of beauty and serenity...we can't get it back.  Traffic here is nonstop, the city is not clean - can't be as healthy as it was in the 70's.  The lake, in most areas and definitely at public beaches in my hometown area doesn't pass my swimsuit test - my method of measurement of clean water.  In summer I can smell lake water in varying degrees depending on beach attended after I wash my swimsuit with mild soap & hang it to dry.  In Maui my swimsuit smelled...like mild soap after I washed it.  The water in Maui is clean - I can say this affirmatively as I'm a beach & water addict!

I know for certain after experiencing Maui's fresh, scented air, the clean water of Kihei, Launiupoko and Kaanapali, the absence of billboards and litter...I know for sure the Okanagan is not purely where my heart is anymore.  Maybe it was that last photo I took of the antique poster in our Lahaina condo - the one of those surfers in the year 1935 where they all stood in a row with their boards behind them...the flash of my camera was right against a young wild Hawaiian surfer boy's heart. I think a surfer spirit jumped into my soul at that moment...and it was meant to be.  Here's a photo of me in the warm waves of Kihei.  We went to many beaches, so casual to park our rental car anywhere along the road as there are so many beaches, all open to public with change rooms, picnic tables and most of these beaches with very few people around.  Lovvvee the beaches and water everywhere, they're all fantastic!

Maui is a romantic, beautiful, dreamy place with warm breezes everywhere and quaint shops on Front St, Lahaina where we watched sunsets as we sat at different open air restaurants nightly...up on the second floor always, overlooking the harbour.  We sat and passed around a huge piece of Hula pie - my sister, my Mom, my niece and I as it melted into a chocolate macadamia whipped cream mounded confection - we passed it like someone would pass a joint around the table, but this was a giant piece of pie consumed to the sounds and sights of 3 Hawaiian guys playing guitars & ukelele & singing.  What paradise this island is!

We went to the Whale Museum at Whaler's Village Kaanapali and read histories of sailors who owed the ship money after 3 years at sea catching whales and then they had to sign on for another 2 years at sea to pay the ship back after risking life and limb.  In the museum we saw giant immense hooks and a huge black cauldron for blubber - many momentos of ships and sailors - I could feel the history & hardship.  One day we toured with the Pacific Whale Foundation and saw many whales in an area past the harbour in shallow waters, their sprays of water visible like alternating sudden fountains across the blue ocean surface everywhere.  They surfaced and dove.  I'm glad I belong to this foundation - the people do much to save these gentle, graceful creatures...and we heard whale songs from a submerged microphone, with amplifier in the boat.

We sat at gorgeous Banyan Tree Square in shaded daylight.  At dusk, thousands of birds going to roost sing so loud - an amazing chorus and as night falls they are quiet.  Here's a pic of the Banyan tree and an unknown little girl passing in front of this gigantic wonderful tree with its many offshoots all around.

There were so many interesting things to do...but we relaxed as the pace of the island is not conducive to running around in haste.  We did a lot of things outdoors.  There's Art Night every Friday and more art galleries in Lahaina per capita than any U.S. city...and Fridays they serve champagne and wine.  Hawaiians are friendly, great people everywhere with much dignity and spirit. I'm now learning the Hawaiian language online, and in learning I also consulted their dictionary of words on the internet.  I see how intriguing the meanings of their words, the basis of their language is - so mystical with only a few consonants - it's a flowing water language, with whale and bird songs and no harshness at all - it's like they don't want any "s" for hissing like invoking the spirits of volcanoes, devoid of any hard hitting sounds also.

Our condo was lovely and I would love to buy a place there, in Lahaina, where Maui weather is warmest.  I dream of going back and having a place there for part of the year...now I have to think of how to make this dream a reality.  Here's a photo I took of a Hawaiian ginger plant in blossom at our condo.  To all the wonderful, gracious people I met on this enlightening, healing, and loving holiday I say Aloha and Mahalo.  The vacation is a memory my loved ones and I will cherish always.  I will go back...a spirit surfer has entered my soul.