The saga continues. Seeing Götterdamrüng, live, in the Seattle Opera House, as the conclusion to the the Ring Cycle, is an amazing event. It was supposed to be the longest yet is seemed amazingly short, and it sparked much family discussion and friendly debate. Take it form the top, I’ve been actively listening to the music for several years now, in preparation. I know the conclusion is supposed to be a sad affair, the end of the world as the characters know it, but the effect of the music suggests that there is hope. Sure, the hero dies, sure his wife, a fallen deity, she jumps in his funeral pyre, too. However, there’s a musical sense that something good is going to happen. One noted scholar, sitting a few seats away, chuckled when I suggested, “And they live happily ever after.”

There’s a good chance that a “crazy” gene runs in my family’s genetics. Not like this is much of a surprise, either. “Life mimics art,” I suppose. Saw Siegfried last night. What a show. Act 1, the “hero” is raised by mean old man, then the hero forges a new sword. Act 2, the hero slays a dragon, then gains some wisdom [mental note, find dragon blood to make me smarter]. Act 3, find some girl in a permanent deep sleep state, kiss her, wake her up and live happily ever after. Of course, this is heavy psychotic German opera, there’s not much of a chance of everyone living happily ever after, and there’s a lot of plot left out, but in that synopsis, it was a great show. Incredible orchestra stuff, ripping good yarn to thread it all together. I could grow to like this. And today is the day off.

I begged off from the family for Wednesday afternoon, rode the monorail downtown, wandered around Pike Street Market. Sort of weird, felt right at home as the morning fog burned off. Sure as can be, some guy with an accent [British?] asks me for directions. “Sorry, I ain’t from around here.” Shopping, I came across a perfect pair of earrings for my redheaded Jimmy Buffet Capricorn friend, and when I was buying them, I asked about the sales tax, “These are going out of state, I shouldn’t have to pay tax, right?” “Which state?” “Texas.” “Sorry, Texas collects taxes, too,” the vendor said. “And just because I’m from Texas doesn’t mean I voted for him,” I replied. “Oh I could tell by the long hair and the gentle countenance you wouldn’t have voted for him.” Not much later, I was buying Ma Wetzel a cup of coffee at Caffe Vita and relating that story to her, when the person behind the counter kept chuckling. Ma Wetzel, in her Scorpio tone, suggested that we not discuss politics or religion. The counter person replied, “This is Seattle, we always discuss politics.” I think I like this place — out here on the Left Coast. Then there’s the family, but you just have to love this branch of the family tree, I feel positively normal around here. And they’re all fun. “Got beef jerky?”

My Uncle [Aries] gives us a short synopsis, each evening before the opera. The commentary is peppered with poignant comments, like from the first night, “Those Rhine Maidens, they are a lot like modern women, all talk and no action.” Not that I would agree about the analogy, but it got me thinking, yes, sounds about right. He disagreed with at least one of the other commentators, and for a Southern Gentleman, he sure does command a fair amount of feminist resources for his material — maybe the whole Ring Cycle is about Brünnhilde as the redeemer. During the intermission last night, one of my cousins [Libra] had brought us all some food to snack on — she wasn’t born in Texas, but her redneck roots show. “It’s so perfect for munching on while watching the Ring.” Caused a little stir, we just had ourselves a little picnic, right there — the myth, the magic, the music, the grandeur of it all, and a little beef jerky.

to: astrofish.net list
from: KramerW@astrofish.net
subject: July News

“Well said, brazen-face!”
Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor [IV.ii.124]

Astrological overview: Mars gets the most press right now. He’s going to correct his path, and relative to planet Earth, he’s going to start moving in a more orderly direction. I mean, Mars doesn’t really go backwards in his orbit, it just looks that way. Likewise, he doesn’t really start going forward, but as a welcome relief, it looks that way.
The first two weeks of the month are rough. Not necessarily “bad” rough, just not as easy as we would all like. And before anyone else starts to complain, let me remind you that I am Sagittarius, and this hits me a lot worse than it hits you. [A little sympathy — or money — is the best way to show you care.]

Aries: The relative direction of Mars is like an afterburner on a jet plane. You’ve been cruising along, maybe even stalled once or twice, and you’re ready for those burners to kick in. You and me both. They do kick in, about the third week of July. Now, if this catches you unaware, what happens is you develop a little bit of metaphorical whiplash. Don’t let that happen. Keep your wits about you, and be ready for this good stuff, just as soon as it hits. Going to be a great finish to a time that started out “not so well.”

Taurus: July 4th is not the exact date, but at one point, during the coming month, you come shooting out of the tube like a firecracker. Someone lit your fuse, and all of a sudden, things start happening at a rapid rate. Couldn’t arrive soon enough, and I’m sure you’ll agree about that. The trick is, during the first part of the month, you get to decide just exactly which direction you want to launch yourself. You get to point that firecracker, that little rocket ship you’re in, you get to choose. Then hold on.

Gemini: Relationships, especially of the romantic variety, are all at a critical point. Or rather, you find a portion of this month with your partner, mate, concubine, or, in my case, the cat, staring at you with that look of mild distaste. Seems like the other person’s finding fault with everything you do. My cat is easy to please, a little can of tuna fish, and that wipes the look of distaste off her face. You can try the same trick, but I won’t promise it works. But you might want to try whatever tricks you usually come up with, and as the month gets longer, it gets a little better.

Cancer: Most of the good Cancer birthdays are in July. If I missed your birthday last week, sorry about that. It still looks good, if a tad on the strange side. There’s some interesting dynamics, applying pressure to other sensitive spots, but by and large, over here in Cancer, there’s a bit of a sunny day going on all month long. Not the best ever, but not bad at all. Enjoy what little relief you feel, and be grateful for the small movements of small planets as this highlights what’s going on for you: sometimes, it’s not the big actions, but subtle, little ones that matter so much.

Leo: Slow down, be careful with fireworks. Matter of fact, let someone else handle the dirty task of igniting the fuses. If you try, especially early in the month, if you try to ignite them fuses yourself, it could go horribly wrong, that is, that firecracker could go off in your Leo face. Sit back, and let someone else tend to the chores, at first. As we get closer to the magical time of Leo, though, there’s a positive shift, and you can take a more “hands on” approach then.

Virgo: Around the middle of the month, there’s a little bump in the road. Personally, I love to hit these bumps at high speed, the suspension (such as it is) bottoms out, the rebound on the shocks is nonexistent, and the truck gets a little air, then bounces on down the road. As long as you don’t mind having you innards shaken (not stirred), then you’re good to go. Just be aware that this little bump in the road might be a little larger than you think, so use your good judgment — or bad judgements, such as the case calls for.

Libra: That old misnamed figure, “Lady Luck” is a fickle mistress. Oddly enough, she’s on your side. That’s good. She delivers in strange ways, that’s bad. Like the time I didn’t win the lottery, it was only $ 4 million. Just enough cash to get in trouble, but not really enough (after taxes) to retire on. Besides, I enjoy what I do, so I can’t say I’d give it up. But the next week, I didn’t win, either, not even as that jackpot crawled higher. Even if you’re counting on a big jackpot, pay attention to getting up and working on the project your boss wants you finish. You can gamble, but keep one hand on the till at work.

Scorpio: All I’m going to suggest is that there is one particular ideal, one thing, one mental image you have of yourself, and I’d like to suggest this a good time to overhaul this image. It’s a good time to think twice about this little fantasy. It’s like this: I used to imagine that I was approximately one inch taller than I am right now. There’s one or two tall girls I’ve dated, and that extra inch of altitude would’ve helped — when they wore heels. Now, let’s get real, just for a moment, I’m only this tall, tall enough to ride the rides at the State Fair, but that’s about it. Instead of wishing for something that just won’t happen, use this summer month to get in touch with results you can easily achieve. Or start dating shorter women, like I did.

Sagittarius: I have a “summer weight” and a “winter weight.” It’s odd but the two always seem to reversed of what they should be. I always gain a little extra during the summer, when I don’t wear shirts very often, and that extra weight shows. And in the winter, it’s just a lot easier to eat more lean stuff. Doesn’t make any sense. Now, I know that you’re not really worried about your weight like I am, but the Mars thing, the Jupiter thing, and the onset of Leo, late this month, makes it a lot easier to reach our targets.

Capricorn: Occasionally, it’s okay to glance back over your shoulder to see just exactly how far you’ve come. Matter of fact, it’s usually a good idea to glance back over your shoulder, just to make sure. I was backing a van full of equipment into a spot, here at Shady Acres, and I was doing this in typical fashion: I glanced in the rearview, dropped the van into reverse and gunned the motor. I slammed the van right into a tree branch. [Tree huggers take note: the tree was not harmed.] Other than a dent in the van, there wasn’t much damage. A good bumper sticker covered it up. Before you back up this month, though, make a careful assessment of where everything is, then you can proceed.

Aquarius: Everyone else is upset. You don’t have that problem, unless you’re dealing with the rest of us. There’s a gentle slide going on, and it’s like one of the big slides at the water park, just down the road. Great summer fun. The best part, of course, after a long and hot climb to the top, sliding down, is splashing into the big pool at the bottom. So this is like a gentle slide down, and this is a fun slide, remember? You know what’s at the bottom, and a hot summer day in Texas, nothing could be better.

Pisces: Little trends are important. And there’s this little trend happening in your sign, wonderful Pisces, all month long. This goes against the current economic situation, or the way other folks seem to be feeling, but there’s a light and airy sense you get. I know what it’s like, it like that first time I get around to turning on the new AC unit here in the trailer, and that (expensive) new AC blasts out a huge volume of cold air. It’s relaxing, refreshing, and for a change, it feels good. So do you, at least, for the next little while.

(c) Kramer Wetzel, 2000, 2001

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—
Kramer Wetzel (no relation to fictional characters)
www.astrofish.net
“Who, I? alas! it is my vice, my fault:
Whiles others fish with craft for great opinion,
I with great truth catch mere simplicity….”
Troilus in Shakspeare’s Troilus and Cressida (Act IV, Scene IV)

Short note after a long day at work in the Permian Basin: “Bubba, it don’t get more Texas than this.” It was an evening dash after dinner, long enough to snap that single shot of a pawn store, something rather evocative about the area.

Some days are just more coherent than others.

Having to unpack one suitcase, then load everything back up a second time — nothing this weekend, but El Paso in a few weeks — makes me a little crazy. Disturbs the flow, as it were. By noon, I had fooled around with stupid links, looked at a column deadline and laughed, talked to the AC Repair guy, feed the cat, and not done much else. I took off to do some real work, but the relatively high wind made me think twice so I opted for an overland route instead.

Wound up being a lot further of walk than I remembered. Thursday means Tarot on the Fly, my weekly discussion group. We gathered at Magnolia, had a nice Libra to wait on us, and had hours of conversation concerning reading the cards. I was about to bemoan the loss of the old Austin feeling, being replaced by the dot com culture, the live music being supplanted by the recorded sounds of technopop, the old flair which seemed to be missing, when I spied my dinner special.

Rejoice, Austin ain’t dead yet. Last night, and I had this for real, the dinner special at Magnolia was “Chicken Fried Tofu.” Really. Tastes just like chicken. Or rattlesnake.

(started here)

So the Mercury Retrograde period is just about over, and everything is just about to go back to normal. Just about. I’ve been arguing with the webmaster about what things I approve of having in the “bookstore” and, in fact, why I insist on it being Amazon UK instead of the US version. Amazon US doesn’t carry my favotie astrology texts, they still owe me money, and the stuff from Amazon UK is usually a better edition, as long as it done by a British publisher. Besides, most of the books listed aren’t even available in the States. It doesn’t look like I’m going to get to the grocery store anytime too soon, but there was only one real item that I wanted: Captain Crunch Breakfast Cereal. “Dude, get the Peanut Butter Captain Crunch, it rocks,” admonished my Neighbor. A few weeks back I read Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon, and there’s a fair amount of text devoted to the main protagonist’s description of how to eat this one cereal. I will, at some future date, attempt to duplicate the actions described in the book — it just sounded like such an appetizing endeavor. Besides, an almost inordinate volume of the of the novel is dedicated to the description of how to eat the cereal, including how to keep the milk in the coldest part of the ice box. On a hot afternoon in Texas, it really does sound good.

On our way to the restaurant last night, I felt so relaxed as we cruised through Albuquerque’s University District, I saw a guy with a black leather biker jacket on, and shorts. For some reason it just made me feel at home.

We had Greek food last night, and to cap it all off, I ordered a cup of “Greek Coffee” which was cooked up and served just like traditional Turkish Coffee, “We take teaspoon of coffee, heaping teaspoon, pulverized coffee, and a teaspoon of sugar and boil it,” the one of the owner’s suggested while she poured the bubbling black mass into a demitasse, “and serve it.”

After the coffee was drained, my host Robin proceeded to upend the cup and turn it over on its saucer, and then he read the coffee grounds. In case I was wondering, I’m moving trailers, maybe. And I might have something good happening soon.

I wondered, out loud, why more people didn’t flock to this town, sharing in my awe of the beautful landscape, “What industry do we have? Art? Green Chile? What else?” The conversation switched to politics, and Robin had some astute observations, “Of course the local government is corrupt, but we’re nothing compared to Texas, we haven’t learned how to steal with both hands yet.”