Beautiful glass in the Forsyth Galleries. Too photogenic to pass up.

This water lily is one of the most perfectly beautiful things I've ever seen. The complimentary yellow and royal purple seem to make the flower regal, and almost divine. (taken by lunaliar at the TAMU horticultural water garden)

It's just a bike rack, but for what it is, something beautiful happens to shine through. This concept can be applied to humanity as well...

Stoicism takes a stand

Sherlock Holmes and his masterful powers of deduction wouldn't be able to solve the mystery behind a secret society, much less little ol' me. Why you ask? Well, obviously it's a "secret society" for a reason. I have asked many people about said "secret society" and no one really knows anything about them. I guess they're very effective at keeping their presence a secret, or they just plain don't exist.

Motivation has been lacking in recent days. As to whether it's a general dissent that my body is voicing against my current lifestyle, or I'm just getting a bit lazy and overly content, I'm not sure. However, I need to get excited and ethusiastic quick, or I'm going to lose it, I'm going to catch a serious case of senior-itis, or something similar.

I'm generally irritated with those in administrative positions at A&M. They seem to be entirely too self-serving, much like our current national administration, the BUSH EMPIRE. If you tell someone that you are going to contact them about something that the other party is concerned about, or is in need of, you should follow through with your promise. Instead of my expectations being met, I was hung out to dry with out any notification at all. Is this the way people do business these days?

I just got home, and as I was getting off of the bus, I saw a young girl carrying a violin case. I stopped her and asked her if she in fact was a violinist. She confirmed, and I grew excited. Her name is Kaniyon (KAHN-yon), and she seemed quite disenfranchised from her orchestra teacher, Mr. Hill. I told her that if she ever needed help, a bit of coaching on technique or any lessons, just call me. I handed her my card and she replied with a smile. I think this is what I do best, interacting and uplifting. I just hope that she takes me up on my offer, because I miss teaching so much.

Interesting happenings as of late:
-Saw a burning building. It was so beautiful and sad.
-Saw a two car accident and a dead body. Also beautiful and sad.
-Was harrassed by some good ol' boys on the drive home, called the DPS.
-Was told by my boss that I am "irreplaceable."
-Fell in love with the man all over again.

lunaliar and sister Kara (on left)

Front of the Animal Industries Building, Texas A&M University Campus. Supposedly, this building is haunted. I hope to ghost hunt this site.

lunaliar and twin sisters Sara (right of lunaliar) and Kara (far right of lunaliar).

You are now ready, Grasshoppah...

I'm so amazed by someone's reaction to my philosophies of life, that is, upon hearing them for the first time. It's like reading "Ishmael" again for the first time.

Arin, a wonderful gal. She's so open to learning and new ideas, but not so overzealous that one might think that she's cranking the wheel at an uncommon pace. She's a learner, she seems to have a genuine interest in education, not just that obtained in the archaic classroom, but that of heart-felt knowledge in itself, learning everyday about people, society, culture and all of the things we find in its throws.

Photography, my passion. I know I'm not that experienced, that is, experienced enough to critique a professional, or even experienced enough to see my own faults and weaknesses. I suppose that I desire to be a teacher. Not a master, as the Chinese kung-fu master would berate his student, but a teacher who also learns, who takes the knowledge absorbed from other teachers, and enacts it into life itself, thus teaching others along the way.

Arin appreciated my words today, my teaching and how much I care for humanity. It has revitalized my search. I have found something, and it makes me feel peace.

"People are wonderful, until they prove otherwise,"
-lunaliar

All's fair in love and "whore"

What have you done in the past two weeks that you're proud of?

I'd answer that question by saying: I've taken an exam and done well. I've gone to class everyday, as well as work. I've done a two point chest pull. I've made new friends. I'm expanding my creativity. I started on a self-portrait. I started going to the gym again and lost a subsequent 4 lbs. I haven't been late to work. I've been concentrating on school. I started my article. I went to the photoclub meeting.

How the man would answer that question: Sleep. Eat. Crap. Worked one and a half shifts. Smoke. Sleep.

Seems fair, RIGHT?

But I'm trying not to nag. I'm just carrying the load of two people. It's okay that I'm not only doing all of my work and the domestic duties, and he lays idle. I love him, but this is where I draw the line.

I'm not quite sure about how to break this to the man yet, but where there's a will, there's obviously a way.

Oh, and I'm still praying for the family. There's no quick fix to the "Jerry Springer-ish" crap that my immediate relations keep doing. I wish that we could all look deep within ourselves and see that we are so minor in the scheme of things, and that seeking happiness without killing the hopes, dreams and lives of others is possible.

I strongly recommend that everyone watch "Fahrenheit 9/11." If the entire nation were to watch it, I'd like to see the opinion poll afterwards.

lunaliar with Ed after the two hook chest pull.

lunaliar in a 10-man two-hook chest pull anchored in the center by a partitioned ring.

Slow and Low, That is the Tempo...

I can't believe that so many emotions can surface in one week.

I had such a wonderful and spiritual experience on Monday. The 10 person chest pull was amazing. I think it brought some closer together and cleared the air for others. (see above pictures)

This week has been a stress-fest. Exams and deadlines. Friends and family. It's a terrible eye-opener when you see the one's you love going at each other's throats like a pack of wild dogs.

So, on a more positive note, I'm cast in the November 11th show that CoRE is doing at Numbers (www.wearecore.com).

I've been trying to meditate more... It's like restarting the computer when there's a glitch that's slowing it down. I just stand back, breathe deeply and open my heart. It's making me see a lot of things much more clearly, like the dynamics of my relationships, and how much energy it takes to keep me going.

I'm going ghost hunting on campus soon for my article... I'm really excited about it... maybe I'll find something interesting!

Keep the faith, sometimes it's all that makes sense.

A completely different perspective is seen when you're looking in the right direction...

So sweet, it's salty.

Who knows when I am going through the motions in this meager life. I'm having a really hard time with being conscious of myself (which is not to be confused with being "self-conscious," which is interpreted as "vanity" or "insecurity"), and without consciousness of myself, I am a machine controlled by Mother Culture.

It seems too miraculous to be a coincidence. My sister stops by today and says that she's coming to the event tomorrow. This will be my first chest pull. I'm rather nervous to be completely honest. This will be a new experience for me all together.

I'm not sure about what to say right now. I've gotten to the point in "The Teachings of Gurdjieff" upon which Orage makes commentary on "Beezelbub" and it is so engrossing but I can't quite understand it at times, but understanding in itself has become such a complicated task that I'm not sure that I understand "understanding." Most of the time I try to absorb what I can, and try to grasp the rest in time between chapters or segments of story.

It's very difficult to apply such esoteric and suggestive ideas to everyday life, as the book suggests, but maybe I am trying something too big, and I must start with something much smaller.

I'm trying to hold on to that rope that Lilith threw to those on Earth at the beginning of time. The rope is a symbol of the eternal wellspring of hope itself. Humanity is unable to hold on for long, only because we're looking for efficiency in the system; an easier way in. I'm holding on for dear life, but Mother Culture has a firm grasp on my ankles, and my hands are burning from fatigue. Is it too early to call the game for rain? Is it too late to turn it all around and find the path that is sure, rather than the one that is easier? Is it the time to find a way to bring humanity back to itself?

Ask yourself.