Wow!!! I haven't written in my journal for a long time. My trip out to L.A. was uneventful but my arrival was not. I went back through my emails to Tom and M. to find out what I have been up to the last three weeks. So the following are various things from the 3, actually 2 ½ weeks I have been here. I don't remember all the days that things happened anymore.
Thursday January 10th -- Arrival -- I arrived at LAX but F. wasn't there. I was really surprised because I worried about him not being there the first time I flew out but since he had been there waiting for me the other times had stopped worrying about it. I guessed that he had overslept. So I just went and collected my baggage from the claim area, sat down in a nearby chair, which was clearly visible from the entryway, took out my book and read. After an hour and a half I called Tom to let him know what was happening as the only way F. could get a hold of me, I thought, would be to leave a message with Tom. It turns out that F. had overslept, and then went to the wrong terminal. So he had called Tom and told him. I waited about another 20 min. when I saw him go in one door and out the other. I had to run after him as he never saw me sitting there. He seemed quite surprised that I wasn't angry at him. Of course, I was just delighted that he was not in a car accident or something else serious had not happened to delay him. I had begun to do that kind of worrying. I was, however, rather tired.
Friday January 11th -- Working on the House -- We moved everything out of the kitchen, threw some things away :), organized others, and moved the huge round table (that was in the corner of the dining room, which is where F. has his computer) into the kitchen. It does take up a lot of room but now there is "counter" space for food prep, and a place to sit and eat at a table. He seems happy about it, which is what matters. We finally got to bed at 3:30 am though and were up again by 7:00 am. I feel in need of some serious sleep. Hopefully I will adjust shortly. Yawn...
Sunday January 13th -- Feelin Blue -- I have my period and feel depressed today. F. is at the Eye today and I am feeling blue. I took some garbage out and three children from next door started to speak to me in Spanish. I understood when they asked me my name but that was about it. They kept trying though when I told them "No Hablo Espanol." They thought it was pretty funny. They were calling me chiquita linda which might be pretty girl or something like that. But they giggled the whole time. They were very cute. I wish that I remembered more of the Spanish that I took just two years ago. They lifted my spirits too :)
Monday January 14th -- Doing Errands -- We spent the time running around doing errands. He had to drop off a pink card at the Drs. to be signed due to his missing work on Friday (Isn't it great to be treated like a responsible adult?!? Not.) Since the Dr. wasn't there he has to go back tomorrow or Wednesday to pick it up. Then we ate lunch at McDonald's. We stopped at an appliance store to see if they repair washer and dryers (they do) and whether they would take a washer and dryer as partial payment for the repairs on a second set. That way he gets rid of the extra set at the house and gets his repaired, hopefully for less. The woman who runs the store lost her husband last year and had previously talked to F. about it so she filled us up just a bit on how she was doing. She also showed us pictures of how she decorated his grave for Christmas with garlands outlining the grave. It was rather strange to realize that she was talking about going back the day after New Year's to collect the decorations and there was no snow in the photos she showed us. I still haven't adjusted to the greenery and plants in bloom here in the winter. Then we also checked out a leather store.
It is hard to adjust to the schedule here when we nap during the day and are up late then go to bed again early in the morning. It seems harder to me this time -- I don't know why. I meant to do my exercises tonight but by the time I did dishes, vacuumed the carpet (really dirty with pieces of crap brought in on shoes, wood pieces from the floor, etc.), took the vacuum upstairs to vacuum R's. rug so it would be nice when she comes home on Wednesday, cleaned the cat box, put away F's. clean clothes (we did the laundry yesterday), put away the dry dishes, I had forgotten that I was going to do them and already started my bath. After my bath though I am taking my laptop upstairs and working on my clergy challenge ritual -- I have to get it done or Candy will be on my tail. I am still trying to work on Nest to Nest - I was waiting for permission to use some of the comments people were sending to the lists about Starwhite* I think I have enough though - although another good one just came to the lists today. I might see about using that one too but I will wait til I get the rest in the issue and see if that fills it up. (As it turns out I ended up with 3/4 of a page, blank. I haven't figured out what to do with it and haven't had the time either so it looks like it won't get done til I get home:(
Tuesday January 15th -- Meet the Family -- F. and I went to see my Aunt Lillian and Uncle Bob today. We were actually early so stopped at a kite store a few blocks away and chatted with the owner while checking out the colorful, fanciful kites. My relatives live in an area where you can see the Marina and out to the ocean. Their house is built on a huge hill and the back yard is terraced with wood holding up the sections, then planted with figs, lemons, an orange, and all kinds of other plants. Bob used to keep it up but with his stroke he is in a wheel chair and can't speak. He basically can't communicate anything but the very simplest thing and his mind seems to be clear and alert. It must be very hard on him and very frustrating. They seemed to like F. though and included him in the conversation, asking about his family etc. F. is pretty sure they got the idea that I am out visiting him as a lover -- but no one asked and we didn't offer anything. Although when I went to the bathroom apparently F. did tell them that he would answer any questions that they might ask him -- just to be sure they wanted to know the answer, that he was into honesty and openness. Lillian did call my mom and put her on the speakerphone, then introduced F. by saying he was the young handsome man who brought me there. Mom promptly said that I should get away from him. So she may have been joking or may have had a pretty clear idea of what she thought was going on. I hope she doesn't ask because I am really sure she doesn't want to know.
F. was telling them about hyperbaric treatment for stroke. We looked it up on the web later and I got an article on it that I want to print out and mail to them. F. says he is fine with taking me to visit them again when I come out again so perhaps I will actually visit them periodically. I might get an opportunity to meet my cousins and other relatives as well sometime.
After we got home he returned R's. call and found out that she isn't coming home tomorrow after all but is waiting another week. He was not happy about this at all.
Wednesday January 16th -- A Day in -- It is pretty cold here. We have the space heater lit in the living room most of the time unless we are going out for a long time. it keeps the upstairs pretty warm since heat rises and the bedroom is right above it and it keeps the LR right next to it warm but the temperature definitely drops off and gets pretty cold by the time you get to the kitchen.
We spent the day in the house today except for a run out to the grocery store. Mostly we slept - F. woke up after only two hours sleep and came down while I was talking to my dad on the phone. My aunt Lillian told my dad I was wonderful and hugged Bob when I left. Ok, I don't get it. What is wonderful about hugging my Uncle goodbye when I left? F. says that people shy away from others who have had strokes or whatever so my hugging him might have stood out. Anyway she also told my dad that F. was very intelligent and interesting. Hehehe. Dad kept calling him whats-his-name, until I reminded him that is what he used to call Tom. Then he called him er-whats-his-name. I don't know what my parents might think about it all but nothing is going to be said about it now to me anyway :)
Then F. hung around while I took my bath and we talked. Afterwards I went back up to bed with him and we slept again. We woke up, made love, took a shower, got dressed, and went out food shopping. We watched Angel and Charmed, did a little moving of boxes in what F. calls the pantry. It does appear to be a very small room -- smaller than the bedroom in the first house Tom and I rented by quite a bit (that room fit the bed with about 1 1/2 ft on one side of the bed only but there was room below the bed for a dresser or two so it was mostly long and very narrow). And it has a door into the utility room as well as one out into the dining room. Really it is a cute little room except for being a mess and needing repair. It would make a great little meditation room or private ritual room. I think F. is intending to make it into a part of the kitchen along with the utility room if he ever gets to it. He wants to make the kitchen into another bedroom because he thinks a three-bedroom house would be worth more.
Thursday January 17th -- Dinner Out -- I am trying to get my clergy challenge ritual finished up and sent out to Candy. I wrote a first draft of it, then wrote a detailed over-view of the ritual. I emailed them to her (since I promised her the ritual by the end of January, something she laughed about as I don't seem to get much done on my projects when I am at F's.) I was hoping that she wouldn't require the actual written out ritual but left her the option for me to send it to her and told her it couldn't be the final copy yet because there are likely to be some changes made due to suggestions from people who are aspecting deities, etc. But I just got an email from her asking me for the full ritual. Figures that she wouldn't let me get away with anything :) So I have to try and finish it up tonight and tomorrow and get it to her well before the end of January. If I don't I will never hear the end of it.
Today we went to see his insurance agent because he let his home insurance lapse while looking into other policies. He would have to make a full year's payment to get it reinstated, which he didn't have so I put the charges on our credit card. He will pay us back monthly until it is done. And while we were there the insurance agent, Bill, told us all about himself. F. ended up telling him about us as lovers, and having multiple relationships, and that I was an astrologer. The man said he wanted me to do his chart and that when F. emailed him a piece of info he needed he should include my email so that he could work it out with me. I think it highly unlikely that anything will come of it though. But F. tells people all the time that I am a professional astrologer and can help them with what is going on in their lives.
He took me to a little place called Cafe Luna for dinner (he got paid today). We were led through the rooms to the back where it opens up into a courtyard. They had a bunch of those kinds of gas heaters like at Ronn's house for his swimming pool. It was an Italian restaurant and I had fried mozzarella balls in sauce and a spinach salad. Quite yummy, and there were leftovers so I had salad for my late night meal. I end up needing to eat again when I stay up this late. It is 1 am here and I might need more to eat yet before I go to bed.
Sunday January 20th -- Visiting his Mom -- Yesterday we went to his mom's house so he could clean out an area in her garage and put R's motorcycle there (it had been cited for being out in the yard:( I spent the time doing several loads of laundry and visiting with his mother. She hasn't been well and needs oxygen sometimes. Then we brought home a couple of medical style cabinets with counter top, three tables with leaves that fold down, etc. So he cleaned out all the junk from the entryway -- you could actually get into the bathroom that way for a short time as there is a second door into the bathroom from the hallway.[grin] Then stuff got put back there. But there is still less stuffed into that area now so the door opens and one can walk in and around easily. We have actually made an improvement in the kitchen and the dining room and the entry way this trip!!! He tells me that my presence seems to help him manifest things. I hope that is true but I think he is able to manifest on his own :)
My head still hurts. I took a second dose of Ibuprofen and am now just waiting for 20 min. so I can take a dose of tylenol on top of that. I heated up some onion rings for lunch but maybe shouldn't have done it as they did have salt and that could contribute to this headache. I hope I have not just adjusted to the pollens here. Though it could be the cleaning we've done -- a lot of dust gets kicked up into the air when we do that. I had a headache yesterday too but it went away with the first dose of ibuprofen. This one is quite painful now even after the second dose.
Later we went to see the movie, "Snow Dogs". It was pretty amusing, though not the best movie I have ever seen. We enjoyed it though.
Saturday January 26th -- Magick Lessons -- We went to see the Count of Monte Cristo yesterday. It was a very enjoyable movie. I thought the actor who played the Count was quite sexy, gorgeous eyes, and a strong presence. It had a happier ending than the book though.
R. and F. still haven't gotten together yet since she got home so I have not had sex since Wednesday morning. I am not happy about it and am definitely feeling edgy. Sigh...
But R. and I have been talking about magick and she is teaching me some very interesting techniques involving "spirits" of the planets and one's individual chart, how to find their names from the birth chart, and then work with the person's specific planetary spirits to accomplish changes. It is quite interesting. I don't know enough yet to find the names though. I know how to find the starting points but then they are run through a table of seven, which I haven't seen yet, to decode or as she puts it translate the name from the earth plane to whatever one you are working with, so Sun plane, Venus plane, etc. And she gave me some very interesting views of what a magickal grimoire might be -- in other words a sigil of these spirits specifically for the individual, carefully contained in a specific way, then given the breath of life magickally to achieve a purpose. I find the ideas interesting. But I also think that doing this is bringing us closer together. We both seem to very much enjoy the give and take that these discussions produce. I am eagerly looking forward to the continuation of them.
Today F. took me to see "Lord of the Rings" at the prompting of R. I had a very good time. We saw it at the Chinese theatre connected to Grauman's. We went into the center, which was open to the sky. There were two huge elephant sculptures at the top, and Egyptian figures in bas relief. It is quite eye catching. As I looked up I could see the full moon framed in the center. What a treat! I felt the moon's energy very clearly as if we were connected, She and I.
Sunday January 27th -- Raining in the Kitchen -- they went into the Eye to work but F. took the day off and returned to spend it with me as it is the last weekend I will be here for awhile. We were going to do something fun but what I really wanted to do was get the plastic sheeting to put on the kitchen ceiling to stop the leaking. He hasn't gotten the roof fixed yet and I felt the weather change. So we went out and picked up a number of small items necessary for fixing things: staples, wood adhesive, frosted glass paint, snaps, etc. It began to rain quite a bit while we were out and by the time we got back it was leaking pretty intensely in the kitchen and splashing all over the table. Luckily he had gotten the roof partially fixed before so it wasn't raining in as badly as the last time I was here. He stapled the plastic sheeting to the ceiling and worked at getting the water to run down towards the walls instead of spraying all over everything in the kitchen. So now we can actually go in the kitchen and cook while it is raining!
In the evening we picked up R. and went out to a Chinese restaurant in China town. I really like their hot and spicy eggplant. Yum! We each ordered a dish then shared them between us, and still had leftovers to bring home. Later R. and I talked while F. worked on cleaning out another little room. It was a very pleasant way to spend an evening.
Copyright © 2001, 2002 Kyril Oakwind