I went looking through all my blog posts and I don't seem to have posted this story, so, here it is....it happened a years ago.....

I was at a local shopping center, leaving when I happened to see an old friend from high school. She was pleased to see me because we had not talked in years. As we talked, strangely (seriously, I didn't bring it up) the conversation turned to religion. She asked me what religion I was. "I'm a Unitarian Universalist." I dissembled (not a total lie, I am a UU, that's just not the whole story.). "What's that?" she asked, I gave her an explanation (I don't think she really understood, but she didn't probe further).

We talked and discovered we are both use I.M.'s. We exchanged information and later that evening we began to chat.

The chat went well until she asked me the question "Is there anyone from High School that you would still consider dating?" (I had a thing for her in High School) My response was "Maybe. You?" Now of course I meant was there anyone she would consider dating, she took it COMPLETELY wrong.

She began to gush (as well as one can gush over I.M.) about how she wondered if God had meant for us to meet and blah blah blah. Then she started rolling out all these rules for dating her. I only recall 2 of them. One was that she would not have sex before marriage. The other that I recall is that the man she dates must "Love the Lord and his Son, Jesus Christ.)

Well, after she finished typing up her rules, I said that they were all ok, but I couldn't comply with one of them. She said "It's about sex before marriage isn't it? That hangs a lot of guys up." I said, "No, no that's not that big of a problem." Then I copied her thing about loving the lord and jc and pated it back to her. I told her that I am not a Christian, I'm a Pagan."

"What's that?" she asked. So, I explained to her about Paganism. I explained about the Gods and Goddesses. I explained about the Lord and Lady. She didn't get it. So finally, I said "Do you know what Wicca is?" She responded "Yes." I said "It's kinda like that."

She goes on to tell me how she had some Wiccan Landlords that were terrible to her (a-holes come in every religion) and then told me I was too good for something like that, ending with "Those people are basically witches!" I laughed so hard when she said that, I was glad we were chatting on I.M.

Went ghost hunting a few day ago with some friends. Nothing that spectacular happend, but we got some interesting orb pics. The best ones will be in the blog section of photos... ;)

When I was younger (much younger (second or third grade, maybe 4th at the most) ) one day I fell down my grandparent's stairs. I suffered no broken bones from this. No serious trauma at all, except from one black eye.

The next day at school, I stood up in fromt of the class and someone asked me about my black eye. I said "I was in a fight, but you should see the other guy...."

As you may know, here in the US, it is Thanksgiving. Traditionally it is a day spent with family and friends surrounded by more food than should ever be in one house at any given time... ;)

Sometimes for one reason or another we can not have all that we might wish at our table, so I wish to propose a toast to absent friends. For me these would include my parents and grandparents (they have passed) and various other friends and loved ones who can not make it to my particular table.

I invite any one who would like to to respond here with their toast to absent friends......

Some of you may be wondering what Orènyiel might mean. Well, I asked my friend (who is deeply into Tolkien) if he could figure out a word or short phrase in Elven to express a feeling I have. Actually his wife (also my friend ;) ) came up with it for me. What I wanted was a word that meant "Daughter of my heart, but not my body". 

Orènyiel, loosley translates into Heart's Daughter. That is close enough.