A New Cave for Kari's Lair (original) (raw)

Some LairLinks y'all should know about (Newly Revised)...	[Jun. 1st, 2026|03:45 pm]virgofolkie
[Current Location |Macrina Bakery, as of 1/25/22] [Current Mood	lethargic] [Current Music	Something on Macrina's stereo]I believe we're Ready to reveal our full range of online LairShops, folks! The Cafepress LairShops harbor teeshirts, caps, coffee mugs, sweatshirts, mousepads, provocative boxers and the like, all with the LairMistress's original art and photographs, Including but not Limited to Irish ones! Also, the Big News is that our Cafepress Premium LairShop, The Lair of Cards, is Now OPEN and RUNNING!! Dedicated primarily to our images on paper products--Posters, Postcards, Greeting Cards, and the like, this new LairShop is still being Built, but is now fully Functional! We may even feature EP CDs and Print/eBooks there in the not-too-distant future; meanwhile, we've got everything Paper-Oriented from Stickers to Framed Prints! Better still, we are researching possibilities for designing posters for other folks as well--I've done this Before, after all, but thus far only on a Volunteer basis.Anyway, here are LairLinks to our five Cafepress LairShops: UPDATE (THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2009): There's been a bit of a shakeup on our e-commerce front, LairCronies! The Lair's private collection of prints for sale, the Nifara Gallery, has been permanently Retired and Deleted from the Lair. This is because 1) we weren't getting any sales; and 2) we decided to leave things like custom matting and framing to professionals. Therefore...we are Instead expanding our Imagekind account (see LairLink with the LairMistress's self-photo Below)! Having upgraded to a Pro account, we are expanding both the number of galleries and Uploaded images; we now are Allowed up to 100 galleries with up to 50 images Apiece! These galleries feature Custom matting and printing for each image; and we don't have to purchase these materials ourselves. Sounds like a plan! ALSO: We're still trying to decide what to do with our Photostockplus account, currently Deactivated pending renewal/upgrade. To upgrade or not, that is the question: the Annual upgrade price is a little Steep. We'll hopefully get Around to that eventually. Squidoo made the Horrendous mistake of selling out to Hubpages a while Back; and I haven't updated the lenses-turned-hubs in quite some time. I must try to do So very Soon, if they still exist; below, Meanwhile, is a graphic link to my profile as it exists now...***** *********Anyway, dear LairCronies, do check out these lovely LairShops; hopefully something will catch your eye, and you'll discover that it's got your name on it! That, and they make Lovely gifts for all occasions! I mean, c'mon, who hasn't gone bloody Bonkers trying to come up with a wedding gift for the couple who have everything (then again, I always find that you can't go wrong for that occasion with some nicely trimmed, dark red table linens from J.C. Penney...)?! TOGETHER ACROSS THE WORLD!!
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Well, Dangit, Folks...	[Jan. 3rd, 2025|09:58 pm]virgofolkie
[Current Location |Home in Belltown] [Current Mood	frustrated] [Current Music	None at Present]Will I ever get Around to posting in this Musty old Lair more than once Per Annum? I'm not Sure at this point. But since half of my country has gone off the deep end and re-elected Orange Thing, I'm Open to considering some changes. In fact, a brand-New teeshirt design is taking shape in my head, with a caption reading something like, "Expat Life is looking better all the time."It seems as if all our Best people are leaving us at this difficult time. Back in October of '24, Dean Robert Willis of the "Garden Congregation" passed Away suddenly from heart failure at age 77. In mid-December (on Hitchmas, no less!), we lost our dear old pal Zakir Hussain at age 73, while he was playing and performing better on tablas than he had 25 years Ago. He had pulmonary fibrosis, the same disease that took away Liam and Bobby Clancy, also in their 70's. And just days Ago, one of our last Decent ex-Presidents, Jimmy Carter, bid us Farewell at the Venerable age of 100. Curious how these things seem to happen in threes.About the only Eventful thing that happened to me in the Past few months occurred on September 27, when I tripped over a curb edge in downtown Seattle, went Down quite Hard on my right side, and received my first-Ever upper arm fracture. After a couple of months with my arm in a sling, I got an Intuitive sense that I didn't need the sling Anymore (indeed, it was starting to get in the way); and began a course of physical therapy, in which I am still actively participating. Improvement has been Slow but Steady; my upper arm is not 100% cured Yet, but things are definitely looking Up. Now, it being a New Year, I'm starting to be in the mood for some changes (perhaps not Radical ones; but changes, all the same):--I need an office space, where I can work without Constant interruption from neighbors;--Either that, or it's time to move into a larger Residential space, with plenty of room to work Online in (don't worry; I want to remain in Seattle);--I want to do some traveling again. I just don't know where, exactly.--I'm going Back and Forth on the notion of leaving the country once Orange Thing is re-Installed. Again, I have no idea where I would go to evade his Nefarious influence.Anyway, I hope to post here more Frequently than once per year, unless Elon Musk buys LiveJournal, in which case, I may head on Back to InsaneIJournal, or someplace Similar...
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Happy New Year from a Soon-to-be 60-Something...	[Jan. 6th, 2024|11:19 pm]virgofolkie
[Tags**|foreign travel, gaza, israel, open mikes, palestine, touring] [Current Location**	Belltown, Seattle] [Current Mood	contemplative] [Current Music	None at Present]Happy New Year of the Dragon, aka my 60th Year! Holy Moses, did I just say that? Um, yes I did. Egads.So, what shall we do this year, in order to keep feeling that life is Worthwhile? Shall we take Sabalah's Songmap on the road, or stick with northern European islands? I want to go Somewhere this year, if only to check out Open Mic venues across the west coast. I've finally decided to by-golly do it, whether in a Circular pattern of travel, or in round trips between Seattle and Wherever. The circular route might well be Cheaper.UPDATE (FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2024): I figure an open mic tour of this state basically entails making copies of a CD (at least EP edition), at least 100 or so copies. And then, pick out some Likely towns and cities, and look up their open mic venues, on OpenMikes.org or Elsewhere. Look up and/or contact Said venues, to verify their open mic dates, times, and guidelines; and then head on Out, guitar and CDs in hand. Sounds straightforward Enough.Some sad news from Colville: One of my Aunt's cats has had to be put Down just Today, due to generally Fatal urinary tract issues. His name was Lagan (pronounced LAH-gan), a sweet, very Shy, handsome little gray tabby guy, only about 4 or 5 years of age. He's survived other things in the past, Including being Treed by some larger creature for four days; so I figured he must be pretty Tough. Unfortunately, he developed this condition on top of also having worms; and perhaps his immune system was Compromised. Alas, but may he travel on in Peace to the Rainbow Bridge, and await my aunt's arrival. I'll have to see if I have any photos of Lagan from the past couple of Christmases.I'm thinking I may have alienated some folks over on Facebook due to my Frequent posts sympathetic to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, which some people tend to interpret as Antisemitic (and it's been very Difficult to convince them Otherwise). I don't know how many times I have to explain this; but I have absolutely NO issues with Jewish people, the Jewish faith or culture, or Israel's mere existence. I also do NOT sympathize with Hamas, or any other terrorist organization or party; they do nothing but cause trouble, Including and Especially towards the people they claim to represent. My issues are with the Extreme cruelty with which Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank have been treated recently, and often in the Recent past: by the Netanyahu government (which considers itself well Above international law and the World Courts, among other entities); by the actions of the Israeli military, which completely contradict their own Public statements; and by Certain far-right groups of so-called settlers in Illegal outposts on the West Bank perimeter (who tend to be complete dicks at the best of times). I don't know if this will clarify my views to anyone's satisfaction; but all I can do is try, and hope. It's just that, having seen Graphic examples of what was going On in Gaza, I simply couldn't NOT say and post something. This situation has kept me Awake many nights, and I have no Direct involvement with any of it. I just hope the ICJ will deliver some measure of justice, both to Palestinian civilians, and to the families of Israeli hostages who are still Unaccounted for.Meanwhile, on with the Tour-Planning exercises...
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I'm still Alive, no worries...	[Oct. 2nd, 2023|10:29 pm]virgofolkie
[Tags**|activism, blogging, busking, depression, online worklog, twitter sucks] [Current Location**	Home turf] [Current Mood	nostalgic] [Current Music	None at Present]It's okay, LairCronies; I'm still alive, though often Tired. I turned 59 (or, as I called it Somewhere, threescore less one) at the beginning of this month, and I'm bloody Tired much of the time. The spirit is Willing; the hip joints--not so Much. Guess it's time for a new sleep study; I'm tired of being Tired. I'm also Overdue to get my eyes Checked, partly as a result of autumnal drowsiness. Somehow, I'm doing this post at my Home Lair, despite all the interruptions, Including people constantly asking to borrow money. That's why I'll be spending another long weekend in Edmonds soon, so I can resume writing stuff without interruptions. I'm now writing on the new Dell Inspiron laptop, getting Accustomed to the flattish keys, when I can see them through my constantly Smudged-up glasses that need replacing. Looking through what I've got on the spacious 1 TB of storage, I discovered that the version of my Creative Writing folder is out of date, missing a couple of novellas, Among other things. Good thing I glanced through it earlier this evening.As usual, I'm Interested in too many things. But not attending to them makes me seriously Depressed, and it's not just the weather. Listening to 90's world music actually makes me feel Better, for starters. I keep hounding myself to get Up earlier, and I just can't do it; but finishing my term on the building's Executive Committee leaves me more time for busking in the afternoon, if I can just persuade myself that 3:00 pm is NOT too Late for making a trip to my Fave spots at the Market. But I'm also neglecting a lot of Other things: this blog, my Climate blog, the Home Lair, and the digital distribution of my Original songs (I've picked ReverbNation for that; now I need to explain to CD Baby why I'm not uploading all my compositions for them to distribute. I have no idea which distribution deal is better than which).Okay, the bloody Open Mic Tour. It's been a bit Discouraging, to be still barely in the planning stage. Way too many open mic venues either: no longer exist; do only Online versions of open mics (and I don't have Zoom installed); or do Live open mics maybe once or twice a month. That's another thing I've been neglecting. That does it: I've got to ditch all the political arguments on Twitter/X for a while (they're making me Depressed, and a bit Stressed Out, from trying to fight with far-right trolls who want to take all homeless people Out and shoot them, when they're not posting the most Repulsive racist tropes against Black activists or trans people. Some are even bringing Back stupid Religious Right arguments against marriage equality (good God/dess, if you want LGBTQ people to be Free to marry whom they please, you must be a groomer!!). Anyway, let me get Back to work on things I've been neglecting (esp. the busking), and it will likely work miracles for my mental health. I want to be in half-Decent shape for Samhain this year...
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Podge and Rodge's Shopping List for the LairMistress...	[May. 23rd, 2023|03:50 pm]virgofolkie
[Current Location |Macrina Bakery and Cafe] [Current Mood	groggy]Whenever I fully wake Up, LairLurkers all, I've got a few things to do that I've been putting Off for a while. Like the denizens of Ballydung Manor, I'm not getting any Younger. As soon as humanly Possible (or when I'm awake Enough), the Gruesome Twosome remind me that I've got to get Around to...-- Whenever I can tear myself Away from the Acne Treatment Videos on YouTube long Enough, I've got to take my Mom off our Shared AT&T account. In the Next Reality, they apparently don't need cellphones, Smart or Otherwise.--Order a feckin' Flatscreen TV and Roku Stick already. I've got the space for them all picked out.--Finish copying the novella "Caitlin's Cats" over to a Word file, and back it up, before the New laptop arrives.--Finish shopping Around, and get Going on ordering a new Dell Inspiron (or something Similar) with Windows 10. Back up everything from the current Dell Inspiron, before it keels Over and dies.--Arrange to visit my brother and SIL in Texas sometime this fall, before they pull up stakes and retire to Colorado.--Find a new Dentist.--Establish Washington state venues for the Open Mic Tour.--Send the O'Lepracy lads over to You-Know-Who, with the message: "Sweet Mother of Hades, get yer arse home and write a pro contract with the LairMistress. If ye don't feckin' know her by now, ye gurrier..."***More Coming Soon***
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Priorities? What Priorities?	[Apr. 2nd, 2023|11:23 pm]virgofolkie
[Tags**|acedia, acne videos, music videos, palm sunday, priorities, slideshow videos] [Current Location**	Home in Belltown] [Current Mood	exhausted] [Current Music	None]Well, folks, today was Palm Sunday, though for me it's mostly just part of the Festival of Lengthening Days, as they call this time of year in my Danubian Neolithicverse. I believe today is also the beginning of the Jewish Passover (correction: Passover started at sundown on Wednesday, April 5). Palm Sunday, in the Christian cosmology, commemorates the morning when a radical Messianic rabbi and a bunch of his cronies and followers staged part of a Traditional coronation of a king of Israel (the new king's Humble entry into Jerusalem on the back of a juvenile donkey), as it was celebrated Back before the period of Roman occupation of their territory. Much of Jerusalem's residents of that time didn't get this inflammatory Festival of Hebrewness; but their religious leaders (pro-Roman collaborators, the most of them) did get it, and it scared the tunics off them. It was a Direct challenge to Rome's authority, and to those in Cahoots with it. Yeshua ha-Notzri's subsequent purge of the temple courtyard scared them even More, as they deduced that he'd be launching a straight-up purge of the temple itself Next, if they didn't do something about this guy. I, for one, happen to believe that they were Correct in their Scared-Shitless deductions, which explains what occurred near the end of that week, Illegal court proceedings and all.Anyway. I spent last weekend up in the Best Western hotel in Edmonds, WA, a Charming little town a mere stone's throw Away from Northgate, trying to get as Much writing and updating Done as Possible, without interruptions from my building's hallway, Including people seeking cash loans from yours truly. I got a fair amount Done; but I have decided that what I need to prioritize in the Near future is: 1) Busking; 2) Recording song videos (both originals and covers); and 3) Uploading finished videos to Youtube. Then I can do, in no Particular order: 4) New teeshirt designs; 5) Lair updates; 6) Slideshow videos with music; and 7) Uploading the Finished versions of #6. For these, and many Other reasons, I need to stop obsessing over the zit-popping videos on Thuy Truong's YouTube channel, however Charming the young beautician might be, lancet and all. Alas, folks, that's my Latest opiate of the masses. Those things happen when you get really Bored and Aimless in life. Hence the establishment of Creative priorities...
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He Gets Us? Storming Heaven's Gates, Part #517	[Jan. 30th, 2023|04:42 pm]virgofolkie
[Current Location |Macrina Bakery, Belltown] [Current Mood	aggravated] [Current Music	Something on Macrina's stereo]Hey, folks: Have you seen the newest edgy Evangelical ads? The "He Gets Us" ads, currently on YouTube? I'm in the midst of yet Another "Stolen Dreams" funk at Present, and trying not to get too Annoyed at these things. Does Yeshua ha-Notzri actually "get" having his Favorite musicians killed off before their time? Maybe Yeshua gets not having his vocation Supported by his own family, in spite of all the Angelic visions they received, even before he was born. Does Yeshua get it when people are totally Fed Up with the organized religion he allegedly founded? Does he get it when one of the members of Said religion really wants to become a Pagan, but is Scared to leave her old church, Due to all the "fire and brimstone" hanging over her head? Does he get wanting to be a Witch?Maybe Yeshua gets my meditations on storming the gates of the Christian Paradise, riding horseback at the head of an army of maybe 30,000 Punk-Rock Faeries, demanding that Nualláin Óg be Returned to us, Brought back to life; or Otherwise, that I be Permitted to go Back in time, to fulfill my need to study and collaborate with the Seanchaí Óg already. I stand at the head of an army Riding bikes, mopeds, skateboards, even stilts; Various chant leaders fire up the throng, getting them to repeat such rhyming chants as "Dream-stealing sucks! We're all out of fucks!" and my own lyric, "Dream-stealing's got to stop! Go text it from the mountain-top!" I, meanwhile, shout through a megaphone exactly why we're all There, and exactly what we intend to achieve by being There. I conjure images of portals back in time, or portals to an Alternate Universe, or portals showing images of what could have been if Predictable wrenches hadn't been Thrown in the mechanics of my dreams and plans. Sometimes an angelic force comes out and vaporizes us all into dust; but we just reconstitute ourselves, as I yell back, "Sure, go Ahead and nuke us all! What good will that do? It just makes y'all look bad!"Sorry, folks, but I'm not "moving on." I still want my Favorite musician Back; I still want to study and collaborate with him. I still want to be a Successful touring folksinger in my own right. I still want to work with my Favorite local performer, even if he thinks I'm too old and fat to share a stage with. I still want my Original creative work to sell, and be Noticed, seen and heard. Enough with the Curse of Disregard already. When is Yeshua ha-Notzri, or freaking Somebody, going to do something about that? If he actually "gets me", when is he going to extract the wrenches from the gears of my dreams, goals and plans? I don't want anyone else making plans for me; I want my own plans and goals to be Supported, not Thwarted. What do I have to resort to, to get my dreams Returned and Restored to me, Intact and Implemented? Because I'm going to sit outside Heaven's gates, Punk-Rock Faeries at the ready, until I get my dreams, and my Celtoqawwali collaborator, back Alive and Well again.
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Back from Colville, and Wondering What to do Next...	[Dec. 30th, 2022|04:50 pm]virgofolkie
[Current Location |Macrina Bakery, Belltown] [Current Mood	determined] [Current Music	Something on Macrina's stereo]Good evening, LairCronies, on the Eve of New Year's Eve! Hopefully, I'm home from my aunt's homestead in time to view the Space Needle's fireworks. Hopefully, the mental health improvements Bestowed by my Aunt Sharon and her furkids Gillie, Lagan, Lily and Rowan will stick with me for a while, and I won't feel like hibernating like the bear-descendant that I seemingly am. In the meantime, I am NOT looking Forward to dealing with the 2022 Tax Returns. And I must train myself not to dwell on the relatives, friends, fellow musicians and the like who have died in the past 30-some years (as the late, great Liam Clancy put it, not Long before his own passing, "There's no joy in being the last man standing. Everywhere I look, I'm surrounded by ghosts."). But I digress.I'd like to make myself some new LairLinks pages, and update the ones I still have. The new ones would include:Climate Activist OrganizationsOut-of-Town Open Mic Spots (Sorted by City)Pagan InformationMagickal InformationScandinavian Cultural SitesOscar Wilde SitesShamanic InformationNew Folk Acts and Traditional Music VenuesI still want to tour open mic spots around the country. Before then, I also want to take a holiday from my building, to which I am Devoted to writing, photographic processing, and new teeshirt designs. I no Sooner got Back from Spokane yesterday afternoon when Certain neighbors started showing Up at my unit, asking to borrow money. Deep sigh.I had an Unusual dream last night, in which I would type a few words into my iPad (my brother sent me one of those contraptions for Christmas this month; once I figure it Out, I plan to use it for updating blogs, and Other writing pursuits), and this would Somehow change my Surrounding environment. I unconsciously associated this activity with my pursuit of whatever Remaining musical collabs I might be Able to arrange. Who knows what I might do, if my intentions are strong Enough. If I can fulfill a near-Lifelong dream of visiting Scandinavia, other dreams, goals and aspirations should seem more Doable from here on Out, provided the goalposts don't pack up and retire from the field before I reach them. To give me and yourselves a modicum of inspiration, here is a photo from Scandinavia...
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I'm thinking of joining Reddit. Good idea?	[Dec. 6th, 2022|06:12 pm]virgofolkie
[Tags**|christmas, creative work, holidays, promotion, reddit] [Current Location**	Home in Belltown] [Current Mood	mellow] [Current Music	Traffic]Hello, folks; this is the first evening in a Long time that I've had a chance to sit Down and write something (which reminds me; my fingernails need clipping. I'm carving Deep grooves in my laptop keys.I'm wondering if those old Reliable platforms, Reddit and Tumblr, are any Good for promoting things like teeshirts these days. I'm currently giving Reddit a Second glance, wondering whether it's too Crowded by now to attract any notice for Original photos, songs, or teeshirt designs. I've got Plenty of all of these, and I want to make a Bigger splash to attract interest in them. Besides that, I want to take a Serious break from the political scene on Twitter. Since that Tesla Space Guy (i.e. Elon) bought and took Over Twitter, the political brawling has been cranked Up a notch or six, and the vibe is getting downright Corrosive. Both Left and Right want the other side to go Away: Lefties want to ban the Righties, and Righties want to "own the Libs" (which essentially means that they insist that their ideas are way Better than the Left's ideas, and they're demanding that Lefties acknowledge this, which will Likely never happen). Also, Orange Guy has decided to run for President again in 2024, even though he insists that he is still the "Rightful Winner" of the 2020 Election (because Americans would NEVER even CONTEMPLATE voting HIM out of office, would they??). By his so-called "logic", he wouldn't qualify to run in '24, because this is already his "second term." Sigh...But I digress.Anyway: I'm promoting Various products Already on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, here on LJ, as well as via the Lair and the Occasional email. Now and then, I even make promotional videos for Youtube, featuring Original teeshirt designs--mostly to no avail. So, I'm wondering about a new account on Reddit, strictly Limited to posts and communities regarding music, teeshirts, archaeology, and Esoteric matters. No politics Whatsoever, unless someone like Alice Di Micele decides to run for office. Is this a good move? I guess I could dump it, if it's not working Out for me, or if too Much political chatter slithers into my Reddit field of view.Meanwhile, here is a shot of last year's Christmas holiday at my Aunt Sharon's farm in Colville, WA, where I'm also Booked to visit in a couple of weeks. Here's hoping we don't get Snowed In too severely...
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Folks, the Trip Sort of Got Away from the Blog...	[Sep. 6th, 2022|10:52 pm]virgofolkie
[Current Location |Home in Belltown] [Current Mood	listless] [Current Music	Something on the neighbor's TV]Hello from Back in Seattle, LairCronies! Not to worry; I did, in fact, tour the whole itinerary, with stops to change flights at Keflavik Airport in Iceland both ways; but the blogging kind of went by the wayside after Trondheim. Yes, getting to Lofoten was a helluva challenge; but I did it! And, having adopted a seal pup plushie named Thora from a souvenir shop in Henningsvaer, managed to get to Kiruna, Sweden in one piece Afterwards. That's how I learned the value of installing apps on my phone to help with transportation between cities--don't know what I would have done without the SJ app, which got me clear through Sweden and on to Copenhagen by train, with very little fuss and Decent prices.Anyway, I'm back Home now, just celebrated my 58th trip around the sun, and am starting to process hundreds of photos, when not busking and trying to get my songs Heard and Recorded. In particular, I want to record the song "Listen Further Back", if only to memorize the Controversial lyrics. Trouble is, I'm being hit rather Early in the season with seasonal depression (or post-travel letdown, or something). I'm having trouble staying Motivated and Interested in things. There is, however, plenty to get Done; I've just got to develop a more Structured lifestyle. Pretty soon, I'll have to plan holiday trips to Texas (when my SIL, Cuc, is sufficiently Recovered from her Recent hip surgery), and, hopefully, back to Colville for Christmas (where in heck Else is there to go for a Decent Christmas trip?). At least now, I can pay for my own freaking plane tickets. Meanwhile, there's plenty to get Updated and Upgraded, both online and off; so I've got to get my shite Together, at least in time for the Foil Arms & Hog show in November!This, by the way, is a view of the harbor in Arendal, Norway, from the steep, hilly Barbu neighborhood, where my paternal grandfather was born and raised...
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