In the stars today

Your Horoscope - Today, September 29, 2010
You delay, you procrastinate, you are simply lazy. You take longer to do things than most people, K. Why? Consider the fact that you may be scared of taking the next step. Perhaps you are scared of facing the truth. Perhaps you are scared of making the next decision. By the time you are ready to move, you hope that someone else has already decided which way you should go. This method has probably gotten you far, but perhaps not in the direction you need to be going.

Grinds My Gears

Yesterday I was discussing banks' responsibilities to their customers with my colleagues because of an issue that had arisen -- namely that postdated cheques were paid early because they were deposited at an ATM. The bank claimed that because the items at ATMs are no longer checked before being sent to a processing centre it is impossible to prevent the early clearing of postdated cheques. If the scenario were to act out in this manner and my account was short funds because of the early processing, I am sure that the same bank would also have fined me. In other words, punishing me because their systems lacks accountability.

When I worked at a bank ten years ago, all deposits made at the ATM were checked by two bank officers prior to being sent out with the day's work. The larger banks have moved away from this to random checks of the materials such that it is easy for the items above to escape a routine check and balance. This is happening at the same time that the same major financial institutions are requiring more personal information for third party deposits -- such as company payments -- and signing away all liability for errors made in such financial transactions as wires. The banks want more and more from the consumers in terms of information and fees all the while reducing service capabilities and removing the onus of their own responsibilities to provide secure and professional services.

It's ridiculous and it makes me fuming mad.

In the stars

Your horoscope for August 31, 2010

Thoughts and feelings of love for someone very special could inspire your creativity today, Kirsten. You may at first be at a loss as to how to honor your beloved, but the right way will eventually come to you. Then there'll be no stopping you! Whether it's a poem, or a painting, or a song, or even if it's only a very intricate meal, your partner should feel warm, confident, and loved because of your efforts. Enjoy!

Well, if the rainy rainy weather hadn't already set my mind....

Write Noir

Per the requests of my avid readers -- awesome!T and amazing!L -- I am attempting to make up for lost time. For the sake of continuity we shall assume a hold period of June 16 - August 13.

Excuse me ma'am, can you account for your whereabouts during those months?

Yes indeed, I was ensconced in bliss -- engaged by joy. I can provide a good character reference.

Can you please locate "Bliss" on a map ma'am.

Well, yes, but it does move around during the year.

Will you be returning?

Oh yes, I hope to.

Train went through the tunnel...

I have frequent moments when I will be having a fluid and coherent thought process and in the midst of it I think -- yes, yes this is a good idea. At which point I completely forget what my train of thought was or even what I was going to do. It's come up in conversation that a doctor's first easy screening test for Alzheimer's is to ask the patient to name ten animals:

seal
walrus
monkey
zebra
cat
dog
whale
mouse
raccoon
parrot

So far, so good. I should probably do more brain exercises though; all those fluff novels are rotting my brain.

Sumptuous

Schehirrazade By Amal El-Mohtar
Original Source - Sybil's Garage

YOU BRING THE East to me
in a palmful of rice,
a scattering of doves,
a burning temple,
the green smell of tea. You smile,
hold the sun plucked from a Grecian sky
between your teeth, laugh
shake gods and poets from your belly
into my waiting hands, pile them there
like coins and jewels and jasmine petals,
seashells with the sea still in them,
the desert’s weight in sand.

You knew Virgil when he was young, you tell me,
and sitting beneath a willow, whisper
that his bee-loving hands were soft in bed,
that you saw yourself when he spoke of Dido,
her clever fingers on the ox’s hide,
her smoky hair, her tragic eyes,
her fabled skin backlit by fire,
smelling of cardamom and myrrh. I see you, too,
and long, and long
to unfold a treasure from my tongue,
to take your hand in mine and hide there
a stone, a seed, a key,
any small thing
suggestive of mystery.

But my mouth is dry and full of echoes, hoards
your syllables like savory
I dare not chew, much less dare swallow
for fear of scraping my throat red-raw
with tiger claws, iron hooks,
the teeth of wide-jawed women
screaming laments into my chest,
stealing my shallow breath.

So I go, instead. I flee
to ocean, forest, ancient streets,
mountains and the tops of towers
to gather stories like wool from rocks,
dew-wet in the morning, to wring
from them a cup’s worth of augury,
season them with dry air and dust,
bottle them, wrap them ‘round rings and combs,
polish glass, silver, hematite,
and lay them at your feet. I would
sheathe you to the knees in gifts, saying,
“I am not subtle, I am not
a siren with the world for wings,
not Alissar by any name, but look, look,
in these hands,
on these feet,
with the wind in my eyes and the moon on my back,
I’ve brought the East to you,”
hoping you will find in them
even the smallest piece
of something you did not already have.

Close, close...

Your horoscope for August 13, 2010

A sudden desire for a romantic encounter with a love partner may come upon you today, Kirsten. For one reason or another, however, you might not be able to get together with your significant other today. Perhaps your friend is away, or perhaps there's a problem with communication. Don't start thinking it's hopeless. You'll eventually touch base and make the necessary arrangements. However, don't expect it to take place tonight. Be patient!

Well, true at the end of the day....