I somehow forgot to post the picture from December on my lovely calendar of Chunlin back at the beginning of the month. But since she's so cute, here you go. Better late than never!
Our trip to New Zealand seems so long ago. . .
Watch the Rice Owls beat the Western Michigan Broncos tonight at 7 p.m. Central!
Yay!
The City of Seattle won't clear the snow from the streets (no, better to just let it melt on its own!), but at least they can quickly fill in the potholes in the arterial streets created by everyone (including the buses) using tire chains on bare pavement (because the side streets had so much snow [see first item, above]) which is asphalt instead of concrete (since the city is more concerned about short-term costs than the long-term), thus easier to break with the chains.
So at least they got that going for them.
Tend your fire, maintain your chastity, honor the Excellent God, Voro! For today is His holy day!
Voro was the youngest of five children born to Korutuzho, God of Agriculture, and Rana, Goddess of Clouds. At that time, Korutuzho was the King of the Gods and Ruler of the Universe. When His children were still infants, He went crazy and thought They would overthrow Him and take over control of the world. And so He swallowed Them whole.
Being the youngest, baby Voro was the last to go down Korutuzho’s throat. His mother Rana worried about Voro and His siblings. She devised a plan to rescue Them. The plan worked. Being the last in, Voro was the first out. Therefore, He is both the youngest and oldest of the family: the last born from Rana, but the first born from Korutuzho.
Growing up, Voro was always calmer and more even-tempered than His brothers: Sozho, High God of Air; Pétíso, God of Death; and Vasataté, God of Oceans; or even His sister Nuvíní, High Goddess of Earth. They were always off running around fighting, killing demons, and rutting with anything that moved. Voro, though, longed for a stable relationship with one woman He could love forever.
At one extravagant party hosted by His brother, Vasataté, Voro became overly inebriated, thanks to Vasataté mixing strong beer into Voro’s orange juice without Voro’s consent or knowledge. As Voro’s brothers enjoyed His unintentional drunken antics, Voro spied a lovely goddess Who moved through the crowd like a soft breeze and immediately decided that He loved Her. She was Hérazha, Goddess of the Wind, and She was indeed lovely, wise, and strong.
The next morning, however, Voro realized His folly. He did not love Hérazha. He had been blinded by Vasataté’s beer. And while Hérazha found Voro to be kind, helpful, and honorable, She too had been overcome by the alcohol. She did not love Him.
Dejected but wiser, Voro and Hérazha went Their separate ways. Later that year, Hérazha gave birth to Nokí, Goddess of Food. Voro loved His daughter deeply, but She was a reminder of His grievous error. From that point on, Voro swore to a life of celibacy. Love was not meant for Him.
Voro has remained chaste for the rest of history.
When Voro’s siblings conquered Their father and took over control of the universe, much as Korutuzho had feared, the five of Them sat down to divide the spoils. Sozho took the air, Vasataté took the water, Nuvíní took the earth, Pétíso took the souls, and Voro took fire. Everything relating to fire was under His control, from a sputtering candle to the sun in the sky.
But it was too much for Him. Voro did not want to control so much. It left Him stretched so thin that He was not able to give people the care and help they deserved. And so, much to His siblings’ surprise, Voro handed over control of all fire to the young but strong Zhíanoso, High God of Fire, in exchange for being able to attend to the hearths and cooking fires of the world.
Voro thusly sits beside the hearth fire in Sozho’s great hall, stoking the coals and adding fuel as needed, content as can be. When people pray at their fires, He hears them and assists them.
One year, when His siblings were having one of Their typical fights, Sozho ended up killing Pétíso. Their sister Nuvíní begged Voro to help Her bring Him back to life. Voro reluctantly agreed, for even though it was not in His nature to interfere in His siblings’ squabbles, He still cared deeply for Them.
Focusing on His fire, Voro was able to track down Pétíso in the spirit plane. Pétíso was unsure if He wanted to return to the world of the living, having already been killed and resurrected once before. Through Voro, Nuvíní pleaded with Pétíso, telling Him that He was loved dearly and would be sorely missed if He remained away.
At this point, Voro intervened. His earlier reluctance had finally boiled over. He declared that it was not right and natural for Pétíso to return to the living. According to Voro, Pétíso was correct in desiring to advance to the land of the dead. When people die, that is where they must go.
Nuvíní was distraught, but She accepted Voro’s pronouncement. Pétíso gladly headed to the underworld, where He now lives as the ruler and judge of departed souls.
That was just the beginning for Voro, as He has ever since made a point to assist the souls of the recently deceased. If needed, He will give souls the courage required to leave their family behind and the strength required to travel to Pétíso’s great hall and receive their judgment for the afterlife.
This is why everyone must pay his respects to the Excellent God, the Most Chaste One, Voro. Before sacrificing to any other god, you must grant a small portion to the Eldest and Youngest, for He is first before all the others. When your loved ones pass away, you must honor the Most Useful God, to give their souls strength. As you tend your hearth fire, say a prayer to the Keeper of the Flame, that He will maintain your fire.
Above all, do not give into temptation. Do not drink in excess. Maintain control of your body, your mind, and your soul. This is the best way to honor the Chaste One. Surely if Voro can remain celibate for all His life, we mortal creatures can remain so for at least twenty-five years. Without control of our selves, we are but animals. Trust in Voro, be like Voro, and you shall be great.
and really, who else reads this thing?
I posted a few dozen photos from our wonderful Christmas on flickr.
Yay!
Merry Christmas, everybody!
Happy New Year!
The Year of the Mosquito is at an end and the Year of the Eagle had now begun! Hurrah!
Today is the Holy Day of Kérasa! Hurrah!
In the beginning, there was nothing but void, and the void was chaos, and the chaos was Kérasa. Alone in Her swirling mixture of primordial seawater, Kérasa was content. Her universe was quiet and peaceful.
After some time, Kérasa’s saltwater met with an eddy of sweet water, and the sweet water was Hívo, God of Potable Water. They joined together, happy in each other’s company. In serene calm, the waters mixed together. The salt and sweet canceled each other and They both became just water. The two alone, Kérasa and Hívo enjoyed the emptiness.
Before long, though, Kérasa gave birth to Kara, Goddess of Soil. Earth sprang forth from the waters. Other gods and goddesses quickly followed. Stars and atmosphere and noxious winds crowded the universe. The world became noisy.
Kérasa and Hívo complained of the ruckus. They asked the other gods to remain quiet. The new gods did not listen to Their elders, however. In fact, They grew angry at Kérasa and Hívo for telling Them what to do. Kérasa’s grandson, Zhaké, God of Rivers, cast a spell upon Hívo, putting Him to sleep. Since none of the gods would speak to Her, Kérasa was left alone.
She began to lose Her mind. Being alone in the quiet of an empty universe had been relaxing, but being alone with a surrounding cacophony was unbearable. Her anger at the noisy new gods grew every day. Lest She went completely insane, Kérasa needed the universe to return to the silence of the beginning.
If only the raucous universe were to end, Kérasa could have peace. To that end, Kérasa created dragons, serpents, mermaids, and demons to spread strife to the world of the other gods. She brought forth war, famine, floods, and disease to the gods and Their creations. Once the crowded universe collapsed from Her attack, Kérasa would once more be free in the void.
The other gods joined battle with Kérasa’s army of dragons and demons. The war raged on for years, which were but a blink of the eye to the Eldest. Neither side prevailed.
To give Her army an advantage, Kérasa gave the Tablet of Destinies to the leader of Her army, a dragon named Kínoko, to wear as His breastplate. Being the eldest god, Kérasa had always held the tablet, which declared Her to be the ruler of all things. Since the tablet is to survive for all eternity, it naturally is indestructible.
Kérasa’s army attacked the gods yet again, with the gargantuan Kínoko at the fore. He shot fire from His maw, tore demigods apart with His claws, and deflected all blows with the Tablet of Destinies. Zhoro, God of Heat, closed in on Kínoko and challenged Him to single combat. Kínoko agreed.
It soon became apparent, however, that Zhoro outmatched Kínoko. Not even the Tablet of Destinies could not save Kérasa’s lover from Zhoro’s flashing sword. Kérasa swept down upon the battlefield to stop the duel, but She was too late.
Zhoro sliced His sword through Kínoko’s lengthy neck. While the dragon reeled from the wound, Zhoro stabbed Kínoko at the edge of the tablet breastplate. His sword penetrated Kínoko’s scaly skin and pierced His heart.
Kérasa erupted in tears, cradling Kínoko’s lifeless head in Her lap. Thus distracted by Her grief, Kérasa didn’t notice when Zhoro snatched up the Tablet of Destinies and took it across the battlefield to Sorosotuzho, God of the Atmosphere. Sorosotuzho was a grandson of Kérasa and the strongest of the elder gods. He gladly accepted the tablet from Zhoro and raised it high above His head, declaring Himself to be the Ruler of the Universe.
At that point, Kérasa didn’t care. She had already lost both Hívo and Kínoko, plus the peace and quiet of Her early life. It no longer mattered to Her if She was the titular ruler. In fact, nothing mattered to Her anymore.
Kérasa attacked Zhoro with all the pent-up rage of destroyed bliss and the fury of a goddess with nothing to lose. Zhoro was surprised by Her attack, and She nearly defeated Him, but He regained His balance and killed the reckless Kérasa.
As Her body fell alongside Kínoko’s, Kérasa’s spirit flew away to be as alone as She could manage in the din of the crowded universe. Far behind Her, Zhoro carved up Her body, creating from it the heavens and the earth. He sliced up Kínoko’s body and sprinkled the blood across the new earth to form humanity. We are all from Kínoko’s blood, and thus Kérasa’s creation. We all walk upon Kérasa’s body and breathe Her air.
At the far end of the universe, Kérasa created a new body for Herself. Seeking peace and solitude in which to grieve, She made Her way up to the top of Mount Farasa. There atop the grand mountain around which the sky revolves, Kérasa cried. She cried for the loss of Her lover, Kínoko. She cried for the loss the sleeping Hívo, Her one true friend and mate. She cried for the loss of a quiet universe.
After many years, Kérasa decided that the catastrophe which is the universe was all Her fault. If She had not borne children, the scourge of the gods and humanity would never have existed. She knew it was too late to return to Her quiet life, but She realized that She could still bring some comfort to the people who were stuck in the universe with Her.
Because of Her own childbearing nightmare, Kérasa has focused Her powers on helping women to have safe childbirths. She wants no woman to regret their birthing experience the way She did. She wants women with pure hearts to become fertile and bear children with pure hearts themselves, to improve the nasty universe, little by little.
Since Hívo’s sweet water had canceled Kérasa’s original saltiness, Her tears had flowed clean and pure into the earth of Mount Farasa. The years of tears slowly trickled through the rock to eventually spring forth from the ground, far down the mountainside. Kérasa cast a spell upon Her tears, making them bring fertility to those who drank.
Local women found the spring and tried the water. To their surprise, they discovered that barren women became fertile. Births became painless. Mothers and children lived -- and happily, too. The women whispered news of the springs of Mount Farasa to their friends, who quietly informed other women. Soon, all the women of the world knew of the miracle of Kérasa’s tears.
With renewed spirit and a confidence in the goodness of the universe, Kérasa awakened Hívo. The world was no longer such a terror that Hívo would go insane. He saw the universe, accepted its noisiness, and thanked Kérasa, His friend of eternity.
Together They live atop Mount Farasa at the center of the universe and watch the world spin by, bringing peace and purity to all who venture Their way. So drink the waters of the Eldest and you, too, will be at peace. Drink Kérasa’s tears and you, too, will be fertile. Drink and you shall remain strong. Drink the water, honor Kérasa, and She will make your universe a better place through you.
Merry Christmas, merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, merry Christmas, merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, merry Christmas, merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, merry Christmas, merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, merry Christmas Day!
Last night, I shoveled the driveway with the hope that I'd be able to drive this morning.
We awoke to 2-1/2" new fluff on the pavement. Oddly enough, we only had 10-1/2" on the back porch, after I measured it at 9" last night. I guess it compacted, blew off, or fell through.
Like that icy first Sunday, ten days ago, I could probably drive in these conditions if it was an emergency, but really . . . my car's a summer car.
I hope the weather improves quickly. Happy Christmas Eve!
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Further thought: I have a four-season tent but a three-season car. What's wrong with this picture?
98031
98042
77005
11357
10128
77025
98125
98133
One of these just doesn't look right to me. Can you find the one that doesn't fit? Hint: I only lived there two months.
Our 10" of snow melted to 9" during the day. We'll get more soon, right? I want to get over a foot!
Here are some photos from my walk to work this morning:
Without the wind, the snow finally piled up on the trees. The view from my cubicle:
The sun came out briefly at lunchtime.
The sidewalks are all pretty beaten down to hard-packed snow. I could probably walk to work tomorrow in my dress shoes if it weren't for those darn streets. What do they spray on the road to make it so slippery? Is it just the sand or do they put a chemical on it, too? The brown snow just doesn't crunch together. It's a dry slush. It better be nice to drive on, because it's a pain for pedestrians.
10" of snow on our back porch . . . last night. We maybe got an extra 1/2" overnight.
Still less than a foot, though.
I walked to the office. Got hot. No wind. Took off three layers, hat, and gloves.
Chunlin and Christina hopped on buses and away they roll. . .
Very empty here at the office, with vacationers and slackers compounding the vacant desks. Back to work!
This afternoon, Christina convinced us to go to the local park and play in the snow. She literally had to drag Chunlin to do it.
The street was in even better condition than this morning:
Still icy, but you can see the pavement!
At the park, the camera battery wasn't doing so well, but I did get one photo.
Whee!
And that was before I built my "seat" at the bottom of the hill.
Oh, by the way: still snowing.
Sotosoroto King, husband, architect, etc. etc. etc. |
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California Roadtrip, Summer 2006
Light Rail Neighborhood Density
The World Does Not Agree with You
Failure Should Never Be Rewarded
Thoughts on Illegal Immigration
I'm a Native American, Dammit!
More "Global Warming" Skepticism
Giant Solar System Model along I-90
Restaurant at the End of the Universe Movie Idea
