Mummer Mayhem!

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 12:43 PM 0 comments

Welcome to "The Gods Are Never Bored On New Year's Day, because They Come to Philadelphia!" I'm your hostess, Annie of the City of Brotherly Love! There are only six El stops between my house and Market Street, so even though I'm across the river, I sort of feel all Philly-Nilly at times.

Every year on New Year's Day, we Philadelphians get a real treat in the form of the eight-hour-long Mummer's Parade. There's no easy way to describe this satin Saturnalia, this feathered frolic, except to say that many of the thousands of people who participate in it devote their entire lives and fortunes to it. I didn't check YouTube, but if you've never seen a Philadelphia Mummer's Parade, I'm sure there are snippets of it here and there.

I'm a Mummer junkie. Forget doing anything else on New Year's Day. I sit in my lounge chair and watch the parade until the last feathered fanatic struts off in search of his celebratory beer.

And OMBG, this year's parade will have me on the edge of my seat! .... Well, not really. I usually loll like a contented cat. Let's just say I've already picked some favorites in the string band competition.

The Philadelphia Daily News printed synopses of each string band's theme in today's newspaper. No one consulted me, mind you, before the themes were chosen -- but I am intrigued.

Here's the summary for the Woodland String Band (finished in 8th place last year):


"Woodland takes you to a land of wizardry, mysticism, sorcery, witchcraft, and enchantment, led by the Grand Wizard, AL A. KAZAM. Harry Potter serves as the guide as Mummers fans watch and listen to familiar, fantastic sights and sounds played by musical wizards, witches, sorcerers, and druids."

Granted, this performance is likely to reek of stereotype in every conceivable way, but I must say I am interested to see a Philadelphia Mummer take on druids.

Needless to say, Woodland was Anne's early favorite until she read on.

Here's the summary for the South Philadelphia String Band (finished in 3rd place last year):


"Embark on a majestic journey of Native America, where great warriors rule. Experience a celebratory powwow, glide along a mystical canoe down the Shenandoah, witness the majesty of the sacred white-buffalo skull, feel the force of a thundering herd stampeding through the village, and be dazzled by the arrival of the mighty and wrathful Thunderbird."

The capitalization is theirs, not mine.

Okay, by now it should be clear to you that the Philadelphia Mummers aren't exactly subtle or politically correct. But who could resist the prospect of a parade that will include both Druids and a Thunderbird?

The forecast calls for rain. I wonder how that will affect the Thunderbird. It might suspend its wrath and go curl up in a pine tree with its fellow Thunderbirds.

Go ahead and spend your New Year's Day making fancy dinners and resolutions. As for me and my house, we will watch the Mummers!

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No One's Bitching about This Stereotype

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 12:13 PM 0 comments

Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored," leaping back into the saddle after a brief bout of flu-like symptoms! I'm glad that's over. On to business as usual!

There's a movie I like called "Lone Star," directed by John Sayles. In the movie, a white Army sergeant proposes to a black Army sergeant, and she accepts. When the guy's buddy says, "Is her family going to be cool with you being white?" The sergeant replies, "They're so glad to discover she's not a lesbian that they couldn't care less what color I am." To which the buddy responds, "It's always great to see one prejudice defeat another."

Back in 2003, the producers at CBS floated the idea of a reality t.v. show that would take some poor family from Appalachia and stick them in a Beverly Hills mansion, and film the results. This was to be a real-life "Beverly Hillbillies."

People from all over Appalachia protested. Some even traveled to New York to stage a rally in front of CBS headquarters. Congresspeople from most of the Appalachian states strongly encouraged CBS not to film such a show. CBS caved, and we were spared an ugly spectacle of stereotype.

Problem is, stereotype sells. Human beings like to feel superior to other human beings. Sucky but true, my friends.

You know how poor I am at linking, so at your leisure, Google "MTV Jersey Shore."


MTV has produced a reality t.v. show about a group of young Italian New Jersey-ites who are spending the summer in a beach house together, their antics being caught on camera. The show is a despicable display of disdain toward people of Italian ancestry who live in the Garden State. Not that these kids behave any differently than spoiled brats anywhere else in the country, but they take pride in being "Guidos" and "Guidettes." Their accents grate on the ear. Their clothing -- when they wear any -- is beyond tacky. They all have nicknames like "Snookie" and "The Situation." They're lazy party animals who run values deficits in the triple digits.

My daughters, both born and raised in New Jersey, absolutely love this show.

I watched some episodes of it with them the other day when I was sick. I tried to recall seeing people like this strolling the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore. Not that I spend a lot of time at the shore -- to me, the beach is best kept at a polite distance. But I do go there, and I'm observant. I can't remember ever seeing anyone like these people at the watering holes in my general vicinity.

Never mind that. The kids in Kansas who watch "Jersey Shore" will come to the conclusion that everyone in Jersey -- Heir and Spare included -- is a spoiled, self-indulgent, values-free Italian with an ugly accent. Obligingly, The Spare has begun to cultivate the accent and mannerisms for comedy routines.

The moral of this sermon is simple. Human nature includes the need to feel superior to certain other groups of people. Modern entertainment will go to great lengths to find these small ethnic groups and display them as if they are the norm. Apply this to praise and worship situations as you like, because there it's just the same.

Ask someone on the street to describe a Wiccan, and they'll probably say ... ugly old woman in black with a pointy hat who hoards cats and then kills them. Ask someone on the street to describe a person from New Jersey, and they'll probably say ... a brainless buff Italian with a bad accent and worse work ethic.

Oh well, at least it takes the heat off West Virginia.

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Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 7:22 AM 0 comments
The Gods Are Bored is temporarily suspended pending the duration of flu-like symptoms. Ick.

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Flu-like Symptoms

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:39 PM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored!" (Insert your snappy opening line here.)

Santa Claus brought us a web cam. Spare already knew how to use it, of course. So she sat down to give me a tutorial. We created a Facebook fan page for "The Gods Are Bored." And then Spare recorded a zippy promotional greeting for the page.

And it was just over the top. Before an hour had passed I decided to take it down.

There are too many problems with Facebook, regarding spammers and viruses. And there are my few Facebook friends who would be utterly astonished at the content of "The Gods Are Bored." And there are creepers on Facebook who would become fans of "The Gods Are Bored" just in hopes of glimpsing the Spare's perfect teeth and frisky wink.

Within an hour I already had four fans. If you fanned "The Gods Are Bored" on Facebook, and you want to be my friend on Facebook, go to my profile and leave me an email with your name.

It wasn't that The Spare's pitch wasn't good enough. It was that her pitch was too good. I hope it didn't go viral in the course of one afternoon. One must watch doing things when one has flu-like symptoms.

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Another Interview

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 7:51 AM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored!" New Year's resolution: blog more, not less. It sucks being too busy to entertain bored deities with marzipan and petits fours! They go for that stuff like nobody's business.

Did you ever wonder why Christmas is celebrated on December 25? Some people think it's because the date is associated with Mithras, a truly bored god of post-Jesus Rome.

As for me, I don't buy into the Mithras thing. If you're a careful observer of the cosmos, which at least some learned people must have been in the Old Times, you begin to notice, right on or about December 25, that the days are indeed getting longer. This definitely calls for a celebration! I think this holy day must have been far wider spread than the followers of Mithras.

Speaking of the followers of Mithras, I have a treat for those of you who are. He agreed to drop by this morning, having nothing else in particular to do. And how nice! He brought some fine-looking steaks! Say what you will about Mithras, he can butcher like only a God can butcher.

Please give a wild, warm, wonderful "Gods Are Bored" welcome to Mithras, ancient deity of male soldiers and statesmen!

Anne: Thanks for the steaks, Mithras!

Mithras: They aren't for you. They're for your husband.

Anne: But there are enough to share, not only with my husband, but also with ...

Mithras: Your two female children. Forget it. Give your husband the steaks he can eat, and freeze the rest for him to eat later.

Anne: Whoa. It's not only politically incorrect and environmentally unfriendly to eat steaks in the first place, it's also discriminatory not to give them to women.

Mithras: Women don't matter. Except for breeding. Male children.

Anne: Lovely. I could be wrapping gifts, I'm talking to a sexist God with a bloody dagger. Hey! You get that thing near my upholstery, and I'll show you what I know about butchering!

Mithras: Don't threaten me. I'll have my followers squash you like a bug.

Anne: Do you even have any? Seems to me like all the sexist meat-eaters drifted away from you about 1600 years ago. Look, I don't know much about your praise and worship team, but I do know it was only open to men, and the rituals were conducted underground. When you were designing your agenda, did you ever think your team would work better if you admitted the gals too? And maybe had some nice, airy, user-friendly worship spaces?

Mithras: Women don't matter. Except for breeding. Male children.

Anne: (to her readers) Sheesh. You wonder why this one is bored? Some of them ought to be bored! (to Mithras) Your name always pops up around this time of year. Like, December 25 was your birthday, and you had disciples, and all that.

Mithras: Male disciples.

Anne: Male disciples are popular in many praise and worship teams. Here at "The Gods Are Bored," we have a big, broad, flexible outlook that includes women in the practice of Divine Mysteries.

Mithras: Sacrilege! (brandishes dagger perilously close to Anne's pristine wing chair) WOMEN DO NOT MATTER!

Anne: Sez you, Chump. Here's an idea. Why don't you buy yourself an all-terrain vehicle, drink a couple of six-packs, and go hunting?

Mithras: I don't have the money for an all-terrain vehicle.

Anne: Imagine that! And who do you think is to blame for your obscurity and its attendant financial woes?

Mithras: Women! Damn all women! No women allowed!

Anne: I'm a woman. So please don't let the door hit your butt as you leave. Take your steaks with you. I don't know whether this date has anything to do with you or not, but any deity who excludes half the population from his praise and worship team doesn't stand a chance against deities with more decency. Steer clear of my furniture, too! I'm not spending my holiday scrubbing chintz because of a sloppy macho deity!

(Exit Mithras in a huff.)

Readers, if you take anything away from today's interview, it's that some deities are born to be bored, some achieve boredom, and some have boredom thrust upon them. Mithras seems to be to have achieved boredom in spades. They say his remaining temples are interesting, but if I ever have money to travel, I think I'll seek out some cheery spa town instead.

Enjoy some days off, remember the poor (of both genders and all ages), and go in peace.

FROM ANNE
THE MERLIN OF BERKELEY SPRINGS

God Jul ~Merry Christmas... and we have a winner...

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 5:30 AM 0 comments


Da er endelig dagen her, selveste Julaften!
Julefreden har senket seg i StampARTic, det er juleferie og rolig tid for oss.
Men litt har vi gjort på i juleferien...
Vi har tittet gjennom bidragene vi fikk til årets siste utfordring og vi har valgt en vinner...

Selv om dette har vært den utfordringen med minst bidrag, vi regner med det har med juleforberedelser å gjøre, iallefall har vi det sånn selv.. lite tid til kortlaging nå,
så har det vært utrolig vanskelig å velge en vinner!
Alle bidragene var bare såå nydelige og alle hadde blitt en verdig vinner.. så det var ingen enkel sak!
Tusen takk til alle dere som leverte bidrag!


The day is finally here, Christmas Eve!
The peaceful feeling of Christmas has entered StampARTic, it is Christmas Vacation and a calm time for us.
But we have done a little bit of work during the vacation...
we have been looking through all the entries for our last challenge in 2009, and we have picked a winner...

Even though it has been the challenge with the least entries, we reckon that has to do with Christmas preparations, at least that is how we have felt it ourselves... not much time for crafting these days... 

It has been very hard to pick a winner, as all the entries where just gorgeous!!! 
Thank you to all of you! 




Og vinneren er....

And the winner is....

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med dette vakre kortet:
With this stunning card:


Gratulerer Ulrica ~ Congratulations Ulrica!

Send oss din adresse til stampartic@gmail.com
Og vi vil sende deg StampARTic kalenderen i posten!


***
Takk til alle våre lesere som har fulgt oss gjennom 2009
Thank you to all our readers that has followed us through 2009

GOD JUL!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Winter Solstice 2009 Shameless Parody

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:52 PM 0 comments



'Twas the night before Solstice, and out on the lawn
Dear Annie was dancing ... a snow day was on!
On Solstice, you see, she'd have nothing to do,
Except oh, perhaps, for a small chore or two.
So after The Heir and The Spare she did kiss,
She took several candles to Shrine of the Mists.

But out in the rear of the house, don't you know,
Was an 18-inch layer of crystalline snow.
It blotted the shrine from the ground to the tip,
If you didn't know quite how to find it, you'd slip.
With a broom from the house Annie cleared out a space
Where the candles could sit comfortably in their place.

Just after sunrise the very next day,
Anne lit her candles. For peace did she pray.
Then onward she trudged in search of her mittens,
She had to return to the shelter two kittens.
She had to do laundry, she had to grade tests
How quickly she learned that for her, there's no rest!

Now darkness has fallen upon Solstice Day,
And Annie is tired, as always, oy vay!
When down to this blog she finally did sit,
She'd nearly forgotten the candles were lit.
She glanced out the window, and they were still there,
So she whistled and called to The Heir and The Spare.

For deep in a bowl of dimond-bright snow
A cluster of candles continued to glow.
So close to the ground that you can't see the flames
But the flick'ring reflections are playing bright games.
The faeries of winter will dance in this light.
Merry Solstice to all, and to all a good night.

Love the Stuff

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 4:26 PM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored," where the deities of the winter solstice have had a whopper of a pillow fight! The weather outside is frightful.

We at "The Gods Are Bored" live about 50 miles east of the Atlantic Ocean. Usually when it snows elsewhere in the Delaware Valley, it rains here. Every now and then, however, we get these storms called Nor'Easters. If they come in with cold temperatures, it snows like all get out.

Weather forecasts only begin to predict these storms with any accuracy about 12 hours before they begin. Last night we got the call: 12 to 18 inches. And the bored gods have delivered.

Just now The Spare and I took a walk. She hasn't seen this much snow in years -- the last time, she was about eight.

Disruptions: The foster kittens were supposed to go back to the shelter today. Forget it. They're still here. I wasn't willing to drive three miles. My Druid Grove's Solstice Ritual is likewise scratched. In the apparent world, that is.

Heir spent last night in Philadelphia with her beatnik friends, but I woke her at 8:00 and got her on the El before the worst of the storm hit. It was such a relief to see her walk out of the El station this morning, to know she would be here with us.

Tonight the house is warm with smells of roast turkey and oatmeal cookies. There are a few too many cats. Decibel the Parrot is a little flustered. The Christmas tree has been placed and lit, but not decorated. The snow is still falling.

I think I'll put a festive cloth on the table and say a prayer, like Dylan Thomas, to the close and holy darkness.

Nor'

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 8:51 AM 0 comments

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Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:25 AM 0 comments
For those of you in a quandary, today is the day to ask the Goddess.

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Change of Heart

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:07 PM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored," celebrating another day of living! Yeah, yeah. Rock on, geezer friends!

Tonight I drove by the Snobville Library, where there's a lit-up Christmas tree and a lit-up Menorah. Something in me just snapped. (I'm not decent to be around in the dark days). I decided that Snobville ought to have a Pagan display on its lawn too.

Off I went to the local hardware store (never Home Depot). I bought a pine wreath that I could stick into the ground. I bought some more of their weird mistletoe that claims to be real. I thought about the little holly tree growing under a pine, and the tons and tons of ivy in my yard. All just wonderful for a Pagan Yuletide display on public property!

Now it's three hours later. I'm in my warm house. The wreath is outside. The mistletoe is still in the car.

I ask myself: Why would I stick a perfectly good wreath on the library lawn, when I have a shrine to all bored deities right in my own back yard?

What would it prove to stick a wreath on that lawn? Nothing, since Christmas trees are Pagan in the first place.

I have come to my senses and will use the wreath, holly, and ivy to festoon the Shrine of the Mists. There will be an All Gods Eve on December 31, and I want the shrine to be spiffy.

Tonight's question to my legions of superior readers: Do you mind if I use the plural "gods" to describe all deities, male, female, and totemic? If not, can you suggest something more inclusive that is readable?

Heir is coming home from college in an hour. I can't wait to see her!

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On Guilt

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 6:44 PM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored!" Feeling a little guilty about something? Something small, like that extra peanut butter cookie? Or something large, like  ... oh, I dunno. It's you, not me, who's riddled with guilt!

Sin, sin, sin. It's everywhere. Gosh, sometimes I feel bad just stepping on my lawn. It must hurt the grass to be beaten into the dust by feet.

There was a time when I felt guilty about things. I guess. Well, I used to take communion, which is all about shedding guilt once a month, so you can stack it up again for next month.

Don't know when exactly it happened, but my views on guilt changed. Not to the point where I'm going to run down some dear old granny and speed away laughing into the rearview. But just enough that I worry a lot less. Sorry, grass. I've gotta walk over you. Deal with it.

See if you follow me on this. Guilt happens when we strive to be like a deity and fail to do so. What the heck? We're people! We're not deities! People make mistakes. They do stupid, hurtful things. We try not to, but damn. There we go being human again.

I've found the Pagan rule on this to be so completely impossible to follow that it leaps into absurdity. "An thou harm none, do what thou wilt." Exactly what can I do that will harm none? If I eat a carrot, it harms the carrot. If I drive to work, it harms the glaciers. If I eat a peanut butter cookie, I'm harming peanuts, wheat, cows (butter), the tropical environment (cane sugar and those who harvest it), and the glaciers (baked in the oven). Not to mention my arteries.

If I wanted to harm none, I would have to starve to death in a desert. And who's to say that all the Advil I've taken over the years wouldn't kill the vultures who ate my carcass? Wait a minute. If I died, it would harm my daughters -- they still need me! Aaaaghghghgh! See what I mean?

Therefore, once again I fall back on the good ol' tried-and-true big, broad, flexible outlook. Like I said, I'm not going to rob a bank or flatten a granny, but when push comes to shove I'll try to judge the relative level of harm by human, not superhuman, standards.


Perfection happens only with upholstery ... all hale the percale!

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Så er vi komt frem til 15. Desember og som alltid på den 15. har vi en ny utfordring til dere...
Dette blir den siste utfordringen i år, og vi i Design Teamet tar en liten juleferie nå.
Vi skal samle litt krefter og energi til 1. januar, da er vi tilbake for fullt igjen.

Then we write December 15th, and as always on a 15th we have a new challenge for you....
This will be the last challenge this year, and now we in the Design Team are taking a small Christmas Vacation. We will use this break to collect some new energy for January 1st.

Ok, så til utfordringen og ikke minst til premien....
Vi har lenge gledet oss til dette...
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Premien er 
som vi i Design Teamet har laget sammen med gjester og tidligere designere.

Utfordringen er  
Maskering og Sting/sying.
Vi vil gjerne se motiv maskert sammen på kortene, i tillegg til litt sy-arbeid.
Sy kan du gjøre enten ved hånd eller med maskin.
Det viktige er at vi ser at det er sydd på kortet.
***

And now to the challenge and not to mention the prize...
We have been looking forward to this for so long... 
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The Prize is
the one the design team has made along with guest and previous designers.



And the Challenge is:
Masking and Stitches.
We would like to see you mask images together to one on your cards, in addition to some stitches/sewing.
The stitches can be by hand or machine, as long as we see they are there. 

Her er Design Teamets bidrag:
Here are the samples card from the Design Team:


Aija:






Carola:



Charlotte:




Rikke:






Marianne:



Jorunn:



***
Nå håper vi å få se dine bidrag og få sjansen til å vinne
StampARTic kalenderen 2010.
Fristen er 22.Desember midnatt (StampARTic tid)
Legg igjen navn og link i Mister Linky skjemaet.
Husk å linke til kortet i bloggen din.
Og vi har berre en regel som må følges:
Det skal være et nytt kort og ikke kombineres med andre utfordringer!

Lykke til, og så håper vi å få se mange bidrag!
Vinneren vil bli annonsert på selveste Julaften! 

Now we hope to see your entries and for you to get a shot at winning 
the StampARTic calendar 2010
Deadline is  December 22nd at midnight (StampARTic time)
Leave your name and link in the Mister Linky Scheme.
Remember to link to your card in your blog.

Also remember our only rule:
It has to be a new card and you can not combine it with other challenges! 


Good luck, and we hope to see lots of entries!
The winner will be announced on Christmas eve!



Wow....

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:38 PM 0 comments


For en feiring vi har hatt, masse poster tett i tett og det har vært like spennende for oss i teamet og se hva de andre designerene har funnet på på sine dager...
Og nå er vi altså blitt over året... og vi er i full gang med å planlegge neste år...
Januar er nesten fullbooket, og vi har masse spennende prosjekter på gang!

Husk å sende inn tips, linker og/eller bilder til "Readers Gallery!"

Og har du spørsmål om noe som helst angående hobbyen vår, så nøl ikke med å sende en mail til "Ask the Stamper..."


Wow... what a celebrating we have had, lots of posts every day, and I tell you it has been just as exciting for us, as we did not know what the other designers had in store for us.. 
We where in for a surprise and a treat everyday! 
And now we have turned 1 year old... and we are busy planning next year..
January is almost fully booked with lots of exciting projects!


Remember to send us tips, links and/or picture to "Readers Gallery!"


And if you have any questions at all about our hobby, do not hesitate to e-mail "Ask the Stamper..."

ÅRETS KORT ~ CARD OF THE YEAR
Fikk du med deg årets kort???

Det er såå vakkert det skader ikke å ta det med enda en gang!
Dette vakre kortet er laget av:

Did you see the card of the year???
It is so beautiful it does not hurt to show it off again!
This beautiful card is made of:

Premie er på vei i posten til deg Gry-Heidi.


*****






Husker dere artikkelen vi hadde i november, der vi lagde prosjekter med de nydelige papirene til 3ndy papir?
Du kan se den HER

Vi fikk tilsendt noen vakre prosjekter som Gudrun Loennecken, den ene damen bak 3ndy papir,
har laget med de samme vakre papirene, og de må vi bare vise dere! 


Do you remember the article we had in November, where we made projects with the beautiful patterned papers from 3ndy papir?
You can refresh your memory HERE


Gudrun Loennecken is one of the ladies behind 3ndy papir, and she has sent us some stunning projects she made using the same papers, and we just have to show them to you:








 


 


 

Er det ikke bare nydelig??

Tusen takk Gudrun, for nydelige bidrag!

Aren't they just stunning??

Thank you so much Gudrun for wonderful contributions!
***********'


Husk å sjekke inn i morgen også, for den aller aller siste utfordringen i 2009!

Remember to check back in tomorrow for the very last challenge in 2009!

Gods Are There, People Are Here

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 9:36 AM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored!" Shop early and save on shipping! We have plenty of fabulous bored deities in stock. Our apologies, but Archangels are on back order and will not ship prior to the holidays. Please browse our collection for an alternate selection!


Prior to today's sermon, I would just like to say that Mr. Johnson was away last week for a few days, and my daughter The Spare and I had loads of fun together while he was gone. Most of it was holiday related, since Spare is 15 -- and you know how young teens feel about certain holidays. The favorite moments for me occurred when we stood in a line of tots and parents to see Santa Claus, just for the joy of seeing the kids all excited. (Spare didn't sit on Santa's lap. I'm sure Santa was desperately disappointed by that.) The next night we strolled the streets of Snobville and saw Santa again. This time, a barbershop quartet was with him. They were singing, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." So of course I did kiss Santa Claus, and Spare did her best "shock face." She is a natural comedienne. We are going to own the Spoutwood Fairie Festival next year.


On to the sermon:


My friend Maebius tagged me to write on the following theme:


What religions do you find most interesting apart from your own? Would you pick one of the major world religions? Say Islam, or Buddhism, or Hinduism or Judaism? Or would you pick something more obscure, like Wicca or Taosim or Rastafarianism or Gnosticism? Would you pick irreligion, say Atheism or Agnosticism? Or if you're not Christian, would you say Christianity?


To me, every path, or tradition, or mystical experience, is equally fascinating. Why? Because I am interested in people.


The vast majority of us feel that Higher Powers exist -- superior beings, if you will. What differs is how we approach the divine. And wowsa, there are so many different ways to approach the divine!


You can put on an Ann Taylor suit and heels and go out on Sunday morning to the Methodist church, where you will be treated to a Bach selection on a $100,000 organ and perhaps a rendition of "The Messiah" by a 75-voice choir ... then a sermon on how to behave wisely and compassionately, which you won't pay attention to because your heels are giving you blisters and it's almost time for the Eagles kickoff.


You can stand in the sun and whirl around until you throw yourself into a trance state.


You can sit in a room and eat some shrooms and wait for your brain to open to higher levels. (Do not mistake this for an endorsement of hallucinogens. Did it sound like I was endorsing the Methodist church?)


You can chant, or meditate, or learn Cabala, or kiss the Torah, or dance in a drum circle, or stand in St. Peter's Square in a throng, waiting for a glimpse of the pope. You can sit at the feet of the Dalai Lama to learn his wisdom. You can work with Maitreya, you can be Asatru, Wiccan, Discordian, Buddhist, or even a Jehovah's Witness. All to me are fascinating.


EXHIBIT A: ANNE ENGAGED IN PRAISE AND WORSHIP



Why do we seek to commune with Higher Powers? Is it just because we're afraid of death, and we're self-medicating with false promises of something beyond that final breath? (I'm interested in atheists too.)


To me, all praise and worship springs from two sources: the mystical, which some of us experience, and the cognitive, which all of us experience. Our cognitive (thinking) praise and worship depends on our cultural constructs, most especially how our parents or friends or society approach the divine. Ask most Methodists why they are Methodists, and they'll say it's because they were raised Methodist. So for me, what's most interesting is the culture from which the praise and worship springs. That's why "The Gods Are Bored" invites so many ancient deities to visit -- because I'm interested in cultures that no longer exist, therefore their deities have been unfairly relegated to "myth."


What I don't like, as many of you know, is the propensity of certain faiths to proselytize and seek new members in places and cultures where a religious path already exists that is unique to that culture. It's downright disrespectful. Leave those Fiji Islanders alone! They've got it going. They do not need Jesus. Give them the antibiotics, and let them go ahead and praise their deities. Why is yours so much better? Breaking news: He's not.


In summary, we at "The Gods Are Bored" would say that the divine is universal, and the understanding of it is cultural, historical, and subject to change. Those who interpret the divine are people. People are imperfect. To me, it's those imperfections that make us fascinating and infuriating. The religion I find most interesting apart from my own is yes.

StampARTic calender 2010 part 3

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:01 PM 0 comments

Slutligen har vi kommit fram till den sista
delen av StampArtics kalender 2010!
Finally we have reach the last part in
StampARTics calender 2010
!
***
Vårgästdesigner i September, Sophia,
har gjort den här vackra sidan för September:
Our guestdesigner in September, Sophia,
made this beatiful calenderpage for September
:




Jorunn tog sig an sköna Oktober:

Jorunn took care for Oktober:





Aija tog god hand om November:
Aija took good care about November:



Sist men inte minst har Petra gjort sidan för December.
Finaly but never the less has Petra made this page
for December
!


***

Psssst.....Än är månaden inte över och man vet aldrig
vad tomten kommer med.....Så håll utkik,
har du varit riktigt riktigt snäll i år?
Psssst....This month is not over yet and you never
know what Santa brings.....So pay attention,

have you been real nice this year?

StampARTic calender 2010 part 2

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:01 PM 0 comments

Här fortsätter presentationen av
StampARTics kalender 2010!
Here continues the presentation of
StampARTics calender 2010!

***


Rikke har gjort en underbar sida för Maj:

Rikke have made a lovely page for May:





En somrig sommarsida har SasSa gjort till Juni:
A summerpage have SasSa made for June:



Augusti tog vår kära ex.medlem Miijja hand om
aldeles perfect!
August took our dear ex.member Miijja perfectly
good care of!





Marianne har gjort den här vackra kalendersidan
för Augusti.
Marianne have made this beatiful calenderpage
for August.



Imorgon presenteras de 4 sista sidorna i vår kalender.
Välkommen tillbaka!


I'm Number Three

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:06 AM 0 comments
Can someone tell me why, when you Google the name "Anne Johnson," my blog comes up third on the list? According to the stat counter I use here at TGAB, only about 200 enlightened and superior individuals access this site every day. With so many Anne Johnsons out there, can I truly be the third most popular Anne Johnson in the English-language world?

If so, all the rest of you Anne Johnsons ought to do your share! Live up to your proud name!

May the bored gods be with me today at school. Yesterday was terrible. Some days are like that.

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StampARTic Calender 2010

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:01 PM 0 comments

Under året som gått har vi haft ett hemligt
projekt på StampARTic. Vi har gjort en
kalender för år 2010. Från början var det en idé som Mia
kom med och vi andra var inte sena att nappa på den!
Det är både nya, gamla och tidigare Dt-medlemmar på StampARTic
som har varit med i det här arbetet, men även ett "gästspel"!
Under 3 dagar kommer 12 kalendersidor att visas här i vårt magasin.

During this past year we have had a secret project going on
at StampARTic. We have mad a calender for the year of 2010.
From the beginning it was
Mijijas idea and we all thought it
was a great one! It is both new, old and former Dt-members
that has joined this work, but also a "guestplay"!
During 3 days we will show the 12 calenderpages here
i our magazine.

***

Framsidan är gjort av Charlotte:
The frontpage is made by Charlotte:


Först ut är Lillemor med Januari:
First comes Lillemor in Januari:


Carola har tagit hand om Februari:
Carola has been taking care of Februari:


Charlotte har även gjort Mars:
Charlotte also made Mars:


Vår fd. medlem Camilla tog sig an april:
Our ex. member Camilla took good care about April:

***

Välkommen tillbaka imorgon,
då presenteras maj-augusti.

Welcome back tomorrow,
then we will show may-august.


Weekly Bigwand Update

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 7:03 PM 0 comments

Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored!" You've heard of the Mall of America. We're the Mall of the Gods! Check out some of our high-end specialty stores. Deities of ancient Micronesia! Now there's praise and worship for the discerning connoisseur!

For those of you who joined at our last pledge drive and need a short update, My name is Anne. I lost my job of 20 years in 2004 and had to re-invent myself, so now I'm a brand-new, first-year school teacher.

This morning I was so exhausted that I looked out at my first period class and just about babbled. I couldn't form a sentence. But it was first period, and I was surrounded by 15-year-olds who had also been up until the wee hours (not grading papers, though). They babbled right back at me. Jolly good fun!

This Wednesday marks the end of Phase IB of my new teacher training classes. Again for those of you just arriving on the late train, Phase IB is the class I have to take that teaches me how to teach, while I'm already teaching and being thoroughly (and expertly) coached in my classroom. I must endure this punishment until June.

The punishment is significantly enhanced by the instructor, a pompous, self-satisfied retired teacher I've affectionately re-named Mr. Bigwand.

Awhile back, Mr. Bigwand noticed Puck, the faerie I wear to work on a cord around my neck. He asked me what Puck was, and I said it was a symbol of my Pagan path. He immediately assumed I was Wiccan. Not that it matters, but that's like assuming every Christian is Catholic.

Tonight, in a moment when he paused from his self-praise, he said to me, "So. What do you Wiccans do at Christmas?"

(Honestly, I do not make this stuff up. You've just got to take my word for it.)

I replied: "First, I'm not Wiccan. I'm Druid. And the better question would be, 'When are you Christians going to give us our holiday back?'"

Having already told us (three times) that he studied for the Anglican collar, Mr. Bigwand now had to prove his big, broad, flexible outlook, which he did by querying me about which of the O'Reilly-sanctioned holiday activities were actually "more ancient" in origin. I replied that the far shorter list would be those that aren't "more ancient" in origin. Which launched him into a mostly monologue about burning candles all night on the solstice. As he moved on to converse with the next victim, he proclaimed, "I love the opportunity to learn new things."

I'll have to take his word for that, because so far as I can see, the last new thing he learned was how to drive a car.

I don't know if it's bad news or good news, but I will be continuing classes with Mr. Bigwand after the aforementioned holidays. I really don't mind, because like H.L. Mencken, I'm mildly amused by loud morons ... and they make good copy.

Oh yeah ... Did I mention that I got the opportunity to evaluate him anonymously last week? He handed out forms, specifically told us not to put our names on them, and then -- after we had our say -- officiously shoved them in an envelope destined for the New Jersey Department of Education. But did he close the envelope? Oh heck no. I'm sure he didn't even wait to read those evals until he drove home. Funny thing was, I looked around me as I evaluated, and I saw fellow inmates scribbling away in high dudgeon. You just can't save everyone from themselves, so I returned to my own form.

My NJDOE anonymous evaluation of Mr. Bigwand? "Stellar teacher."

Machiavelli's lessons aren't lost on me.

P.S. - Sorry to mention the holiday. I promised I wouldn't. I just couldn't let this opportunity pass to hold up for inspection another boorish Bigwand comment.

"So, what do you Wiccans do at Christmas?"

Have at it, readers. Trust me. Mr. Bigwand is going to wander onto this site some day. Go ahead. Teach him something. He loves to learn new things.

Day 9 of Happy birthday StampARTic...Lillemors day of fun!

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:01 PM 0 comments

Thanks all of you that have joined my
day of fun at StampARTics birthdayparty!
With a little help from random.org
we have a winner of the price from
Hobby och Hantverk!
You can see the price if you scroll down
a bit in this post.

***

And the winner is...



Congratulations to you Ulrica!
Send your adress to:
***


Så är det då slutligen min tur (Lillemor) att få tacka er
läsare för ett underbart år med oss på StampARTic!
Finally it is my turn (Lillemor) to thank all of you readers
for a wonderful year with us here at StampARTic!



Inte kunde jag ana vad det skulle komma att
innebära för mig den dag jag tackade ja till
att jobba som dt på det nya onlinemagazinet StampARTic...
Det har varit ett år av utveckling för min del där
jag har ställts inför olika utmaningar, både roliga
men också en del svåra där jag har fått prova på
att jobba med material jag själv normalt sett inte
skulle ha valt.
I couldn´t imagine what it was going to mean to me
that day when I said yes to work as dt on the
new onlinemagazine StampARTic...
It has been a year full with development for me
where I have been challenged in different wayes.
Both fun ones but
also some hard ones where I have had to
work
with material I usually shouldn´t have choosen myself.


Jag är tacksam för att få jobba i detta underbara
team vi har här på magazinet! Vi har en härlig stämning
här på "jobbet" och det skrattas och skojas mycket.
I am greatful to be a part in this great team we have
here at the magazine! We have a good feeling here at
"work" and there is a lot of lauging and joking.

När jag blickar tillbaka på det här första året slås jag
av hur många bra artiklar/tutorials det har blivit!
Fler än jag hunnit prova själv kan jag erkänna.
When I take a look back at this first year I am
hit by how many good articles/tutorials it became!
More than I have had the time to try myself
I have to admit!


En sak jag har provat är att göra dekorationer av
papperslera efter en tutorial av Aija, som du kan
läsa här.
One thing I have tried is to make decorations out
of paperclay from an article by Aija, that you
can read
here.


Du kan på ett enkelt sätt göra billiga och väldigt
personliga dekorationer till dina kort.
Här har jag kavlat ut ett hjärta med ett vanligt
pepparkaksmått. Sedan har jag stämplat med
vackra stämplar. När det har torkat målar jag med
vattenfärg/distresser/dabbers/stickles.
You can easily make cheap and very personal
decorations on your cards.
Here I have mad a heart out of an ordinary
pastry-cutter. Then I have used beatiful stamps.
When it has dried I paint with watercolour/
distress ink/dabbers/stickles.




Kortet i sin helhet med en personlig och vacker
dekoration som inte väger så mycket!
The whole card with a personal and beatiful
decoration that´s not to heavy!


Vilken är din favoritartikel/tutorial från vårt
första år på StampARTic? Berätta vilken
som är din favorit och ta chansen att vinna
ett fint pris från Hobbyochhantverk!
Priset består av ett presentkort på 300 kronor
som du får handla i webbutiken för.
Which one is your favouritearticle/tutorial from
our first year at StampARTic? Let us know which
one it is and take the chance to win a nice price
from
Hobbyochhantverk!
The price is a giftcard with the value of 300 swedish crowns
that you can use in the webshop.



Inte nog med det! Presentkortet levereras i ett vackert
handgjort album. Det är Eva Nyberg på
Hobbyochhantverk som har gjort det speciellt
som pris idag. Det blir en fantastisk avslutning
på vårt nio dagar långa födelsedagskalas!
Albumet är 15,5 x 10,5 cm.
And that´s not enough! The giftcard is going to be
delivered in a beatiful handmade album. It is Eva Nyberg
at Hobbyochhantverk that has created this especially
as a price today. It is a amazing end at our 9 day´s
birthdayparty! The album is 15,5 x 10,5 cm.



Albumets framsida:
The frontside:





Baksidan:
The backside:




Inuti:
Inside:



Tomma sidor med plats för egna dekorationer
och minnesanteckningar:
Empty pages with space for decorations
and memorienotes:




Du har fram till midnatt idag 9 December StampARTic tid
på dig att kommentera inlägget.
Jag återkommer imorgon och skriver direkt i det
här inlägget vem som vinner det fina priset
från Hobbyochhantverk.
You have until midnight today 9 December StampARTic time
to make a comment in this post.
I will come back tomorrow and write directly in
this post whos is the winner of the great price




Good Luck!


Så er tiden kommet for å kåre “Årets kort”.
Men aller først vil jeg få si tusen takk til alle som har deltatt, både til denne utfordringen, og til alle utfordringer igjennom hele året.
Det har vært en fryd å se igjennom bidragene deres, og jeg har virkelig koset meg med å lese deres historie bak kortet dere har valgt. Mange har valgt et kort hvor dere har utfordret seg selv, og laget et kort i en ny stil, i andre farger, eller med andre teknikker enn dere gjør til vanlig. Det viser hvilket potensial det ligger i oss alle, og hvor allsidig vår hobby er. Det vil alltid være noe nytt å prøve.
Nok prat fra meg. Nå er det på tide å gratulere vinneren av tittelen ”Årets kort”.
Og vinneren er:





Og her er Gry-Heidis vakre "Årets kort"


GRATULERER!




Now it is finally time to announce the”Card of the year”.
But first I would like to say thank you to everyone that has joined in on this challenge, and all challenges we have had trough this year.
It has been a real pleasure to look at all your cards, and I have had a great time reading your stories behind the cards you have chosen. Many of you have picked a card where you have challenged yourself, and tried a new style, difference colors, or technique that you don`t normally use. That shows what potential there are in everyone, and how varied our hobby is. There is always something new to try.
Enough from me. Now it is time to congratulate the winner of the title “Card of the year”.
And the winner is:






Congratulations with a baeutiful card, and the title "Card of the year".
Send oss adressen din, så kommer det en ekstra julegave til deg i posten:)


Day 8 of happy birthday StampARTic....with Charlotte

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:17 PM 0 comments
Så blev det min tur til, at fejre StampARTics 1 års fødselsdag. Jeg har kun været med siden september, men jeg er hurtigt kommet til at føle mig hjemme blandt dette fantastiske og dygtige team, som jeg er meget stolt af at tilhøre.

Now it is my turn to celebrate StampARTics 1st birthday. I have only been here since September, but it did not take me long to feel at home among this fantastic and talented team that I am very proud to be a part of.

Mit fødselsdagsbidrag er en lille julelygte, som kan sættes over et batteridrevet fyrfadslys.

My birthday contribution is a small christmas lantern to put over a battery-operated tealight.


Julelygte - Christmas lantern


Aften foto - Evening photo


en meget simpel version - a very simple version

Her er et mønster til lygten, hvis du skulle få lyst til at lave en selv (klik på billedet,, gem og print) og her er det som en pdf fil til at printe ud.


Sæt lygten over et batteridrevet fyrfadslys – endelig ikke et rigtigt lys!

Here is the pattern for the lantern if you would like to make one yourself (clik on the picture, save and print) and here it is as a pdf file to print.
Put your lantern over a battery operated tealight – please do not use a real tealight!



Hvis du laver en lygte, så link meget gerne til den i kommentarerne, så jeg kan komme forbi og se hvad du har lavet.


Please put a link in the comments if you make a lantern, so I can stop by and see what you have made.

Alle vores læsere ønskes en rigtig dejlig dag. Kig forbi igen i morgen og se hvad Lillemor har fundet på.

I wish all our readers a very nice day. Do check in tomorrow to see what Lillemor has planned for you.

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