Being and Becoming in the Rhythm of the Rain

OK,I'm getting there...not sure where yet. But closer.

If some of my friends who work in the world of books/marketing know about this, I'd be most obliged if you could start me off.

I'm looking at a book published by "London,Barker" in the mid 1970s. Anyone from the publishing world know how I find who has the rights for a reprint?
I can't even find this publisher...

Today, I found my pet lovebird of 6 years in trouble. Her name was Sunny. She was called that because on the way to the pet store to claim her, I saw a rainbow and the yellow and red in it matched her colors.

She couldn't fly at all when I found her this evening. She let me hold her and she slowly slipped away. She was always trying to get up on my shoulder, but tonight she lay in the palm of my hand. I told her I loved her. I called her Sweetie. I said her words, "Hello, Sunny," "Kiss,kiss" and Peekaboo.

Now she's gone. On the way home, I saw another rainbow in the sky.

It won't be the same without "the little yellow demon" around.

I don't think I can stand losing anything else, right now.

I'm busy sorting through boxes today. Looking for what I can throw out to make space in the new flat.

I came across my box full of playing and GMing notes, which I fully digressed into...

I found my notes for On The Seventh Day (OTSD) - my first Amber campaign. There was a spin off from that which became Random Chance. In fact, the relationship was reciprocal. Random Chance was meant as a one-off but turned into a campaign. The caliber of players was so high that it was a very satisfying and a lot of fun.

I ran it for the next four years, once a year at ACUK until we finished it. From that I learned how having an end helps keep the energy moving and flowing in a game. During that time I was also running OTSD for my regular gaming group.

Then I went back to OTSD and tweaked a few events so they spun out differently. That turned into It's a Dog's Life (IDL) which was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek look at the life of the heir to the throne of Amber and friends.

I then put together what I'd learned from all those campaigns and came up with Thy Kingdom Come. This ran as email game and then a live game in the U.S.

Then finally, Chain of Assumptions (COA) where I moved from GM, back into playing...the circle completes; the spiral continues.

All great games with great players. Some trying times, but many more happy years...

And now here I am leading small groups as part of my every day at work.

The chaplains at work have been incredible. Last week, they gave me a Peace Lily when my step-mother died. Much better than sending cut flowers and it looks lovely in the new flat. Now I need a name for her...

Of course, I still have Lily (my bamboo plant) who is still growing and probably needs re-potting. I'm scared. I don't have a good track record at doing that and she's still growing just fine, right now.

Then another group of chaplains who know I'm practicing Reiki for others, bought me an hour of Reiki from the practitioner they go to. Wonderful. I'm already looking forward to it.

Right now, the grief, anger, emptiness, tears, and so on, comes and goes. When it's here, it's very intense because I had a very good relationship with my step-mother, probably one of my healthiest with a parent-figure. It feels very much like when my Grandmother died when I was eighteen (she raised me so I was in effect losing my "mother"). The bereavement leave works well because I can let the feelings and memories come and go without being concerned about it coming on in the middle of my meetings with other people at the hospital.

Well, we're finishing up our move today to the new flat. We're not going to get everything clean and dandy, but I'm fine with losing the deposit. The powers that be have a reputation for finding reasons to take the desposit away from lots of people who strip and work their fingers to the bone cleaning anyway.

Hubby starts his radiation next week. Hopefully then we're at the end of it other than check-ups, but we'll never have a life without cancer again. I can mourn that and see the hope in it at the same time.

Sad news is that my step-mum, Ann, died on Thursday from her cancer. She'd been battling it for 18 months. She was clear at Christmas then it came back with a vengance. She died in a hospital just outside of Dorchester. My Dad was by her side. We're talking over the phone though I have no plans to immediately fly out there - partly due to cost, and partly because he has his support system there and I have mine here. I'd have to go alone, because Hubby has to stay for his radiation treatment. I just don't fancy that.

My co-workers are impressed that I'm managing to express the fear, grief and anger and keep going. I feel exhausted, though, emotionally and spiritually. I'd take holiday but I used that all up going through Hubby's surgery and moving flats. I think only having 10 days of holiday is insane especially when I have to use them up for things that patently are not restful or holidays.

Anyway that's it for now. My meditatation and prayer times are helping. Thanks to you know who for the meditatation CD for my birthday. It's been playing in my car whenever I drive anywhere.

Well, we are 90% moved, I think. Still have to spend time cleaning up the old place and moving the last few things, but most of it is here.

Hubby had his staples out yesterday too. That went very well. I'm hoping that he continues to recover at this pace. The doctor says another 6-8 weeks without lifting heavy objects and he should be completely recovered.

I'm also enjoying wireless internet and the ability to be on-line whenever I want!

Well, the weather is improving and becoming very Spring-like. Hence, the 4-5 hours of on-call in 16 hours of overnight coverage just turned into 12-15 hours of on-call for every 16 hours of overnight coverage.

I got about 2 hours of sleep. Eep!

( On-call... )

Anyway, this week will be busy because of Easter. I'm doing the Good Friday and Easter Sunday service at the hospital this year.


Oh, and lest I forget, I was invited to join the Supervisor-in-Training program at my current hospital. Hooray!

( the supervisory stuff... )

Because I'm also now an ordained minister, I'm also looking for match with a small church that needs a part-time minister. I'll keep you posted on that.

As some of you know, I did a little bit of live gaming with hubby's group here in Louisville. They hadn't played any Amber at all and wanted to, so I ran them through a simple two-part idea I've had for a con game. Had a ball. I didn't realize until we were playing Sunday that it was also the last Sunday of ACUS, which seemed fairly apt. When I can get four of the six players in a Mexican stand-off over Corwin's Pattern, I think I've done my job!

Anyway, as we were leaving and talking about other games, I mentioned this idea for a Babylon 5 prequel game. It would answer the question "what really happened to B3?" The only catch is that I don't like diced systems. I can't keep up with them and GM at the same time. It's that lack of multi-tasking ability. But this group wants to help me with that and I'm thinking that maybe they can. Be a fun game, I think.

I'd need six PCs: chief of security, doctor, Minbari and Centauri ambassadors (no Narn or Vorlon ambassador), and then a psicorps officer and a representative of a major Earth corporation with a whole lot of money and ships intent on making a good profit out of B3. So I'm going to start looking for a system to run it and honing up my memory on B5 background and history.

Via djinnthespazz

Here's the answer...( Click here )

This is a funny little piece that tickled my funnybone. It came via Flushing Presbyterian Church newsletter, and I thought I'd share because it shows in a funny way that the Bible is full of real people, not perfect people. I also made a couple of additions myself.

It goes like this:

Noah was a drunk;
Abraham was too old;
Isaac was a daydreamer;
Jacob was a liar;
Joseph was abused;
Moses stuttered;
Gideon was afraid;
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer;
Rahab was a prostitute;
Jeremiah was depressed, and like Timothy, he was too young;
David had an affair and was a murderer;
Elijah was suicidal;
Isaiah preached naked;
Jonah ran;
Naomi was a widow and Ruth an alien;
Job went bankrupt;
Peter denied Christ;
The disciples fell asleep while praying;
Martha worried about everything;
The Samaritan woman was divorced, and more than once;
Zaccheus was too small;
Paul was too religious;
Timothy had an ulcer;
And Lazarus was dead!

A quick entry about the programs in which I've become interested. There are spoilers behind the cut.

( Heroes )

There's also of course Dr. Who ( Dr.Who )

Let see...then there's BSG ( BSG )

Oh and I'm really enoying Supernatural ( Supernatural )

From all this, I'd really have to say that my love of epic, heroic stories with an ensemble cast is really starting to influence how much I like a program and whether I'm inclined to follow it. The other necessary ingredient is a story which is going somewhere. I find I'm enjoying programs that aren't afraid to follow a plot to a conclusion which may change the world in which we find ourselves.

...not getting a great deal of internet access these days with time to post. Work is happily satisfying, so I come home and spend time with hubby, watch the news, any programs of interest and then to bed.

Last Friday on-call went through a complete 24 hours without sleep. It was Friday, the 13th and boy, were we busy. Multiple deaths and traumas. Worked most of the night in the children's ER. Hoping for a slightly easier night on-call tonight, but who knows. Today, I'm bopping around doing a few chores at home and maybe having a friend from church over for tea in the morning.

I'm also halfway through an adult bible study at church on Wisdom, including the wisdom literature from the Bible, Woman Wisdom, Jesus Christ and the book of James from the New Testament.

The supervisors have also let me know that I have a knack for group leadership and dynamics, apparently I'm a natural at it. So now, what we're working on is actually naming those skills and developing them. It's possible I may decide to become a supervisor for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) as well as work part-time with a congregation. We'll see...

Anyway, hope all is going well out there in livejournal land and I'm still reading even if I'm not doing much commenting.

Well, started my new position as chaplain at the local hospital. I have a week of orientation and then my first on-call Saturday. I also notice I'll have to start going to bed earlier too, because I'm getting up at the unholy hour of 6a.m. which means I have to go to bed earlier.

I'll keep everyone informed as I get into the weekly rhythm again.

On another note, here's an interesting quote from a British journalist commented on by Andrew Sullivan:

'[T]he US could take the risk of alienating the world and discarding international law only if its leadership was going to be effective. Instead its leadership has been desultory and uncertain and tragically ineffective...

It’s one thing to be seen as the bully in the schoolyard; it’s quite another when people realise the bully is actually incapable of getting anybody else to do what he wants. It’s unpleasant when people stop respecting you, but it’s positively terrifying when they stop fearing you.'


For the full text go to quote of the day at the Daily Dish.

I saw this film being advertised and thought it looked good, but haven't heard any reviews of it or know anyone who's seen it personally.

It may be worth investigating further at: Peaceful Warrior.

OK, this made me laugh. My somewhat warped sense of humor can be found at U.S. Bans All People from Airplanes.... The punchline about Dell is also quite funny.

Tomorrow, I'm driving to Michigan on a quick fly-by drive: arrive Friday evening, stay Saturday and Sunday, come back Monday. I haven't been very organized about the trip. But it is a pleasant reason. My home church asked me to preach and preside at the Lord's Supper. So it will be a very special time. Hubby can't go because he's taking holiday next week for his daughter's trip here, so it'll be just me this weekend. I'm going to try and see if I can arrange a quick side-trip to see friends but I can't drive as far as hubby can, so we'll see. I'd like to, though, if it's possible at such short notice.

Part of the reason for the lack of organization is the weather is making me very tired. As egwenna has remarked in her livejournal, the temperatures are in the high 90s with high humidities, making the heat index something like 105. Inside, the air conditioning is working so hard that I'm actually cold and dried out. Consequently, my sleep cycle is suffering. I think I got all of three hours last night. Moderation, I say. Moderation in all things, please, including the weather!

This is a flower that a friend pointed out to me on campus. They grow a couple of feet tall and they have no leaves at all. Hence, the locals call them "naked ladies." I wouldn't know if that's a real nick-name or not.

Does anyone know what these flowers are called?