Catch-up

Wow, I’ve really sucked about posting lately, but I have been quite busy. Not an excuse really, but that’s what I’ve got. Work has been crazy and I’ve been preparing for having house guests, so I haven’t been doing too much outside of that. But I have bought four more Tarot card decks since my last deck update...

Lo Scarabeo Tarot – This is now my favourite deck. Lo Scarabeo is a company from Italy that makes, guess what, Tarot cards - and for their 20th anniversary they decided to make an anniversary deck that combined Tarot de Marseilles, Thoth and Rider-Waite imagery, so I find it really easy to read. It didn’t come with a book beyond the LWB, but it did come with a gorgeous bag – gold satin-lined, black velvet exterior, with the Lo Scarabeo logo (a scarab, what else) stitched embroidered on. They feel good too. The LWB had an interesting spread in it too – I now notice that all the LWBs from Lo Scarabeo decks have their own specific spread created for them, nice. Paid full price for this one at Seekers on Bloor – a mostly second-hand store that has a pretty good selection of New Age stuff.

Circle of Life Tarot – I thought the art on this one was really pretty, although there’s a few too many fairies in it! It’s nice though, only the LWB for instructions with a really complicated reading method. Also came with a satin bag (yellow lining, sky blue outside, with a yellow sun embroidered outside)... and it’s ROUND! Yep, I wanted a round deck, and this was the nicest one available (Tarot of the Cloisters is no longer in print) so I got it. Not the easiest to read though. Got it from Amazon, so full price-ish but of course with their discount.

Tarot of the Magical Forest – Okay, I wouldn’t normally be one for cutesy woodland animals, but this one was just so amazing I couldn’t help myself! They are based around Rider-Waite imagery, All with giant heads and huge staring eyes that really suck you in, very Taiwanese. Every time I look at them my throat gets sore from going ’aaaw!’ in a really high-pitched voice *grin*. LWB and foldy-box. Amazon purchase.

The Grail Tarot – Not to be confused with the Oracle of the Grail or the Tarot of the Holy Grail. To be honest, this one was an impulse purchase, but it was a good price (about $15) from BMV on Bloor. The religious overtones are pretty heavy, but the cards are really pretty, middle ages graphics. Interestingly, if you lay the major arcana all side-by-side, they look like one long panorama. Came with a book printed in sepia-tone.

I haven’t had much chance lately to practice so I’m getting a bit rusty, but eventually I’ll be able to get back to it. I’m full of plans, I am.

Towel Day

Douglas Adams, on Towels:

“A towel, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.”

International Towel Day was first proposed by D Clyde Williamson and began two weeks after the death of Douglas Adams in 2001, as a tribute to the author’s life and books.

I’ve got my towel today, do you have yours?

I miss you, Mr Adams.

Who watches the Watchmen? Me.

Okay. So I just saw Watchmen again, and I feel I can now step back and be critical of it... nah, it’s still full of win and awesome. I’m going to try to comment without giving stuff away, for those who haven’t read it or don’t want spoilers.

Casting: excellent. Mostly. The Comedian was perfect, Nite Owl I and II were perfect (Stephen McHattie, yay!), Doctor Manhattan was perfect. And Rorschach? Undeniable perfection. I maintain that the reason Watchmen wasn’t brought to the screen sooner wasn’t because they wanted the script to be just right, and it wasn’t because the CGI needed to catch up – it was because Jackie Earle Haley wasn’t quite haggard and creepy enough yet.

Because clearly he was born for this role. I can picture no one else in it. If it wasn’t such a disturbing thought I’d have a crush on him now. Maybe I do anyway. Which worries me. My favourite scenes were the prison scenes, and they were all about him. His final scene was gutwrenching, at least for me.

Visual effects: excellent. I wondered how they were going to possibly bring this to the screen, but as mentioned previously the CGI technology has really caught up. The crystal ‘ship’ on Mars was beautiful, the ‘bullet-time’ish montage over the opening credits was great, and Doctor Manhattan looked amazing – with one exception, which I will mention in a moment.

Loyalty to the original graphic novel: excellent. I love that it was directly transferred without huge changes, but there were changes that were necessary and I felt like it worked just fine with them. Leaving it in 1985 rather than bringing it to the present was great. And there was one rather major change that wasn’t so much a plot change as a focus alteration. And to be honest, it was one point I even mentioned to a friend six months or so ago – ‘it’ll all work except for this, if they do this it’ll be cheesy and dumb on screen, they’ll have to rework that’. And they did. Yay!

There had been the suggestion that maybe a short TV series would have been the way to go instead, and that way everything could be included. I’d see it for sure, but I think it would have been too easy to accidentally miss an episode and then become lost. That doesn’t mean I don’t want a series, I’d like that!

Mixed review: the soundtrack. Some were inspired – Bob Dylan over the opening credits worked fantastically – while some just irritated me – Nena, say no more.

Okay, I’ll nitpick about a few things.

One: the sex scenes. Well, really only one of them. You’ll know it when you get to it - it’s the one that goes on for WAY too long. Although the Boy enjoyed it - lots of naked girl to look at.

Two: Bubastis. I mean she looked good, that’s true. But they had to leave certain things from the original graphic novel out, and the explanation of Bubastis was one of them. Which made her sudden appearance towards the end of the movie jarring. She was still needed for her final purpose – but then again, maybe they could have made that scene without her altogether? I dunno. She does ground Ozymandias somewhat, shows that he does have some feelings, but that could have been done a different way.

Three: Ozymandias. I think of all the characters, his was the only one miscast. Maybe not miscast, I mean, I don’t know who I’d prefer to take that role, but Matthew Goode wasn’t it. He seemed to not be able to decide what his accent was, which was distracting. And maybe it wasn’t the actor so much as the script or the direction, but I thought his ultimate role was too obvious, whereas in the graphic novel you don’t begin to see it until things are about to go down.

Not really nitpickey, but just a warning: there’s a lot of CGI penis. I don’t feel I’ll be letting anything out of the bag by saying that, I mean Dr Manhattan’s a naked blue guy for much of the novel. But the first time I saw it, I was a somewhat distracted (he’s more, um, endowed in the film than on paper). Not as distracting the second time though. Still, could have done with a little less CGI penis overall.

Lastly, I feel it would be hard to understand the plot of the film if you weren’t already familiar with the story. But don’t let that stop you...

I’ll be buying this on DVD as soon as it comes out. Just fyi.

The Tarot obsession – a follow-up post

Alright, since the last post on these I’ve got two more - the Necronomicon deck and the Tarot of Atlantis. I didn’t do a real description of the decks I have though, so here’s my little review of them all, so far:

Shakespearean Tarot – Got this one probably a dozen years ago, at a ‘remainder’ store, so new, but for maybe $8, definitely no more than $12. It came in a box with a nice book. Lovely images, with quotes, all fully illustrated. I bought this one just for its art, with no intention of using it as tarot. Nice stiff cards, silky coating – so far, my favourite in that respect. Having learned a bit now, I can say the images don’t always tell you much, so this is a deck for someone who already knows their tarot.

Vertigo Tarot – The beginning of my downfall *grin* I got this re-release the last week of February new from Amazon, so full price – again, bought for their art (huge Dave McKean fan) but following a freaky experience at a psychic fair in January (see the long-winded post from my birthday) I find myself more open to their uses! Anyway, this also came in a box with a book (well-written and a work of art in itself) and a velvety bag for their storage. They’re the tallest cards I have, they’re nice and smooth but pretty thin. The imagery is amazing, but again, it’d be hard for someone who didn’t know what they were representing to tell what they mean – there are clues, but you have to know what you’re looking for. I’m waiting until I know my tarot better before using them.

Aquarian Tarot – Got this one less than a week after receiving my Vertigo deck, second-hand for $14 at a flea/antique market. This one’s original from 1970, a little wear but excellent condition, in the original lidded box (with original advertisement inserts and LWB – “In this age of aquarius…”). I’m using these to learn on. The imagery is a little more close-up than the Rider-Waite, so some symbolism is a little different but it’s mostly as expected – but the artwork itself is absolutely gorgeous, lovely art nouveau style with solid lines, muted colours and lightly-drawn faces.

Tarot Nova (mini and pocket) – so this counts as two decks. I bought the two for myself and also another set of the two for a friend. Got them brand new two days after my Aquarian deck at World’s Biggest Bookstore here in Toronto, off one of those carts you see near the cash with all the little boxes in them so inexpensive, like maybe $8 and $11 (btw, if you can’t find what you want within the lovely selection at the Occult Shop – and if you have no qualms about buying from one of the big stores – WBB is a veritable warehouse of proper decks! Second floor, near the occult/new age section). The mini deck, let’s face it, I’ll probably never use or even separate (they’re all attached in accordion-style) as they’re way tiny, like under an inch, in a teeny little box, but they’re super cute and they come with a wee hardcover book. The pocket deck, on the other hand, is a bit of a surprise, it’s a full deck with fun, simple imagery that might just hint at the meaning of the card, but would totally be usable once I’ve got my basics down. They came in a box with a book too, more expanded than a LWB. They’re a good weight of card, but the laminate is really sticky – I’ll have to scratch ’em up before I can use them when I get to it.

Morgan-Greer Tarot – Got this one new (so full price) at the Occult Shop here in Toronto (great shop btw, they have a great selection of cards, plus candles, books, pendants, stones, you name it, and very helpful and friendly staff, simple walk or quick bus ride from St Clair West station) about a week after the little decks. Came with a foldy box with an LWB. The artwork on this one is also gorgeous, and the imagery reminds me of the Aquarian, with similar symbolism and the close focus, but the style is different – the Aquarian deck is muted in colour, while this one is very bright. The images also go right to the edge of the card, which is interesting. They’re lovely.

Necronomicon Tarot – You all know I’m a recovering goth, right? I got this really for that reason, I’m not fully recovered yet. Held out for a week, then bought these. The entire idea of this deck is one that I wouldn’t use for a tarot reading, it’s all incredibly dark, but man is it cool! In a box, with a full book and a black organza bag for storage. Secondhand at BMV (a ‘remainder’ and second-hand store next to WBB and possibly my favourite bookstore in town, and a depository of tarot cards I’ve just discovered!) – a ‘remainder’, for about $16 I think.

Tarot of Atlantis – Just a couple of days ago. Came in a foldy box with an LWB. Great imagery, kind of graphic novel-ish. It’s a good size to use, and I may use it once I know what I’m doing with the cards, but for now it’s relegated. Also a ‘remainder’ from BMV, about $14. All the cups cards have people sexin’ it up, not in an ‘erotic deck’ way, but you know. 10 of cups is a giant orgy. Ahem.

Okay, so that’s… eight decks, if you include the mini Tarot Nova one.

On top of that, I also got the Answer Deck a couple of weeks ago from Running Press (great imagery, red outlined cards with stark pure b&w images, each with a single word or phrase) new from WBB and the re-released Gorey Fantod Pack last week (which I LOVE – beware, all cards indicate bad things, like Loss of Eyelashes or Wispiness) from Book City on Bloor, they special-ordered it for me…

Slight obsession, yes.

I have a rather large, evolving list now of ones I want to add to my collection (after going through EVERY deck on the Aeclectic Tarot site), including the Color Your Own Tarot (appeals to the DTP in me!), the Old English Tarot, the Philosopher’s Stone Self-Awareness Deck (the images remind me of OMNI Magazine), the Tarot of the Imagination, the International Icon Tarot and the Urnash Tarot, among many others.

I have a list, are you surprised? Ask and I’ll share…

And I can’t do readings for you, I don’t know what I’m doing just yet. J* really does though, she’s amazing!

Celebrity Spot

Today I saw Ron James at St Lawrence Market. If it wasn’t him, it was someone who REALLY looks like him.

You all love Ron James, don’t you? I know I do.

That is all.

Oh, except that it’s FRIGGIN’ COLD!

Facing facts:

I’ve been really terrible about posting – I have a lot of stuff in draft purgatory, and I don’t know whether I want to rescue it or not. Maybe I want to just let to let it lie there, maybe come back to it next year to see a nice surprise – like finding a $20 bill in your winter coat pocket in November.

So quick recap: late birthday Japanese lunch, new slow cooker, CDs, DVDs, survived layoffs, new flights for my darts, extra Tavern, new interesting drink (blueberry vodka, mineral water & 7-up, strange but yummy), checked in on hopalong (my Mum, who’s allowed to walk again, yay!), following up on a long list of ailments, visitation for Nona Maria, Gallifrey One: 20 to Life (pix can be found on my Flickr page – weather was crap, weekend was great), and now a new obsession…

Tarot cards.

Yep, slightly obsessed. More in the beauty of them than in any possible divination, although I am more open to there being something there after my birthday weekend craziness (see my previous post). I already had a deck from more than a decade ago, got it for maybe $8 at one of those book stores that sell the overstock from all the other stores, and I would take it out and look through the cards every once in a while and then put it away again, but in the past month I’ve bought the reprinted Vertigo deck (had to really), the Aquarian deck ($14 at the North Market), Tarot Nova and mini Tarot Nova ($10 and $7 respectively, from that rack with the boxes and mini books at WBB) and the Morgan-Greer deck (full price at The Occult Shop, so so gorgeous and worth it). I’m on a rampage! 

And it’s not Tarot, but I picked up The Answer Deck ($12 at the aforementioned WBB rack) just ’cos I like the stylized b&w imagery, and I’m waiting for the reprinted Fantod Pack to show up (should be about $15) – but I swear, then I’m stopping until I see one that makes my jaw drop.

So in other news, the Wine & Cheese show is coming up, I’m going with J* - we've booked a hotel room too so it’ll be a great night – we haven’t been for a couple of years!

How many? Three?

Yeah, I know I was gonna back off from doing these things, but I’ll blame Chris for this so that’s okay. Doood!

Here’s what you’re supposed to do… Create a new note, copy and paste this message, delete my answers and type in your answers. Tag people. Learn stuff.

THREE NAMES I GO BY
Heather
Koshka
Hey

THREE JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE
Waitress
Factory grunt
Store manager

THREE PLACES I HAVE LIVED
Burlington
Kitchener
Vancouver

THREE TV SHOWS THAT I WATCH
Dr Who
Battlestar Galactica
Big Bang Theory

THREE PLACES I HAVE BEEN
Los Angeles
Swansea
Curaçao

THREE PLACES I WANT TO GO
Scotland
Australia
Greece

THREE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS
Chocolate
Pesto
Peanut butter

THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO
Visiting with Jenn
The last three episodes of Pushing Daisies
The day I finally know what the hell I’m doing

THREE PETS THAT YOU HAVE OWNED
Tigger
Lady
The Moog

THREE FRIENDS WHO WILL REPLY (for sure now)
Reb
Jenn
Natalie

THREE FAVORITE BANDS / RECORDING ARTISTS
Dead Can Dance
Peter Murphy
Genesis (early to mid)

THREE FAVORITE THINGS TO WATCH
Tropical fish, from underwater
Movies on the IMAX
Assholes getting put in their place

THREE FAVORITE DRINKS
Water
Iced Tea (the sweetened kind)
Coke with Crème de cacao

THREE THINGS YOU JUST DON’T GET
The appeal of Paris Hilton
Smoking while cycling
Drivers don’t know what a turn signal is for

THREE JOBS YOU’D LIKE
Template-maker (oh wait, I kinda do that now)
Television music chooser (a friend’s friend does that, lucky sod)
Hammock-tester

Here’s a photo of three things, just for the hell of it.