Check that horoscope!

dròm_et_rêve -- goodness, next time I go to Spain, I want you to come along. I hang my head that I am a horrible Spanish speaker and once couldn't get the tapas to stop being served because of it. <sigh>

Here's my horoscope from my old site:
Spiritual pursuits could be especially appealing to you today. You might want to attend church services, or visit a meditation center. Write down any insights you may receive. Books or videos on psychic or spiritual matters, or studies of the ancient wisdom, could also give you information that could have you thinking deeply for days. You may also make some new female friends who share your interests in spiritual matters.

As for travel plans -- we're spending tonight and the next night at a hotel in Seattle, just for a break. In February, we're taking a week to stay at a small town near Guaymas, Mexico. That's all. I'm supposed to be going to the San Francisco a2k get-together in April, but I haven't made any reservations yet.

That annoying thing -- yes, I get it. I've also had troubles with our DSL connection and over the last week lost several "deathless prose" posts to a2k. It wrecks the continuity of my discussions. Ah well.

Changing the subject... What does dròm mean? Sorry to be so ignorant but it doesn't translate online. I think the rest of your name means "and dream." Just wondering. Very cool, but difficult for me to find and type the diacritical markings, which I why I usually just call you D&R. Hope you don't mind.

Hiya, Gautam! Aren't you the perfect Libran?

I'd be delighted to come along, Piffka, any time that you're going to a Spanish-speaking country; I could both translate and help you do it yourself, for no charge . As for having a few flaws in your Spanish, well I had the advantage of my insistance that I start early; you know, in England, they start teaching one languages at 11, which is the age when one has missed the time when one can easily pick up languages! Gah! We should start earlier, like in Holland.

I hope you have a great time in Seattle! Do you have any plans to go to see anything whilst there? That's one of the great things about America; so much variation in just one country. (Then, you could say 'look at Europe: you drive 400 miles and it's another country.) Have you been to Mexico before? Out of curiosity, how long does it take to get to San Fransisco from where you are? I'm probably going to try to get a Fulbright scholarship, so I'm mapping things out for my trips.

Aggh, it's so annoying, isn't it? I type in A2K's address and it either comes up, 'this page cannot be found,' or goes to LuckySearch. I've had trouble with my meagre little connection this week too; it says that a page cannot be found, and then cuts the connection. Wretched things! No wonder why I almost completely neglect my maîtrise of computers (apart from when being called to work with them, of course.)

As for my name, it isn't ignorant at all. Only about three hundred people speak the language from which it derives; my family moved all over the world in the last few centuries, and thus their offspring grew up speaking different languages. They did, however, want to communicate with each other, but didn't want the stigma of native speaker/ learner. So they mixed up all the languages- greatly influenced by French- and made their own, regular grammar. So it means 'drowning in the dream,' (coming from the gerund of dromen, the contraction of en (in) and eit (the, in front of certain letters) and rêve.) There is confusion, though, and some people would say, dromet et rëve, some would say dröm et rëve, but everyone- apart from the bone idle- has a good grasp of the language. It's really phonetic, due to the accents. Most people are weirded out by the fact that they did this. What made you decide on your name?

I don't care at all, Piffka; that would be completely petty. I don't care what anyone calls me, it's the fact that they're talking to me that is important. Any kind of shortening is fine by me , in fact, I probably prefer it.

Thank you -- I'm sure Spain would be much more interesting with you as a guide! Wish I had firm plans to go... sigh. I think that the old places in the north would be so interesting to see. For some reason, Spain has more appeal to me than France or Italy, maybe an early Picasso influence? I've been to Mexico several times; my parents used to live there in the winter. We'll be vacationing with my sister & her husband, staying in the old condos my dad bought ages thirty years ago.

Even though I was in American public schools, I started learning German at 11 years of age -- and kept it up through my first years of college. Was never that good and have never gone to Germany though my sis was an exchange student there. I assume I'd pick up enough to get by, if I did. Sadly that doesn't include enough language to speak at a level higher than pidgin, "Are there eggs in that?" or "More wine, please." Luckily, I have a very expressive face.

Plans for Seattle include shopping for some spices & Christmas presents today at the Pike Place Market, a jazz club tonight, meeting an abuzzer friend on Friday morning, an open-ended Friday evening -- we'll probably go to a theater production, and shopping with Mr.P on Saturday. Mr.P will take the ferry back & forth to work tonight & tomorrow. As he says, "Well, it won't be boring." He is humoring me because it will be my birthday soon. I'd like to squeeze in some time for the Burke Museum on the Univ. of Washington campus (my old school) and the newest show at the Seattle Art Museum. When the SAM was in its old location and I lived nearby, I used to visit at least once a week. It has changed since it moved downtown -- their main claim to fame used to be Oriental art -- lots of gorgeous carved jade.

Drowning in the Dream? How evocative that is! (But is it a good thing? I have a fear of drowning.) So I'm making a mistake by putting in the &... it is really a contraction of "in the." D'nR would be better, I guess. You are nice to say it doesn't bother you if we shorten it. Do you mind saying what this language is that only three hundred people can speak? My name, btw, was given me by dlowan when I changed from pfkflyer on abuzz. It is a feminized form which seems to suit me, doncha know! I love that it is so short, and I've never cared much for my given name, so there you go!

You asked about San Francisco and how far it is from here. Hmmm, it is said that Washingtonians always say how far things are in terms of time, not miles... maybe because of our horrible traffic! I was about to say it would take 15 hours to drive there. Mapquest says Total Distance: 782.91 miles, Total Estimated Time: 12 hours, 9 minutes Well, hah. They don't count rest-stops! As a college student, I went on a few runs down to Berkeley for the weekend, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Good luck on the Fulbright Scholarship! Fingers crossed for you. That means you could go to any school, right?

No problem; I would enjoy it! I would be able to be a guide for you any time from June next year until… 2026! Yes, I always end up in interesting situations when I went to Spain. I always start talking spontaneously to people whilst there, and thus I have plenty of places to stay I always try to learn sufficient amount of the language of the country that I visit; that's ended up with particularly pathetic maîtrises in strange languages, but I tend to enjoy things more if I can speak to the people surrounding me. I like most places, everywhere; everything to me is an experience. Saying this, I do like Spain more than most places, which is why I ended up being the only one out of my college going on to study languages at University; everyone else thought that they were useless. I know that it is not the North, but have you ever been to Barcelona? I like the madness of the Gaudí buildings. Would you have any places in mind to which you'd like to go?

Wow, staying in Mexico over the winters sounds like a brilliant idea. Was this when you were young, or when they had retired, or when? Do you usually go to that area of Mexico, or to different places? I hope that you will have a good time!

Ah, German. That's unusually early, in US terms, to start a language. Nonetheless, my understanding of the differences in the US education is not the greatest. Would you ever like to go to Germany, or Austria or somewhere? Perhaps you could relearn it by being put in a situation where you have to remember things from a long time ago. But, if I were to be put into the Gaeltacht, I wouldn't remember the Irish from years ago. I wish that I could speak good German, although if I were able to wake up speaking one other language fluently, I would choose Russian. How about you?

Wow… it sounds like you are going to have a good time (and a relaxed but eventful time too, notwithstanding Mr. P's need to get to work and then back again; that has erratic potential.) How far apart are Seattle and Bombay? (I think in time too, and then predict the miles from that: yes, we have terrible traffic too, with the world-infamous M6.) I hope that you get to see everything that you want to see; if you don't, well that is just another excuse to visit again! What did you major in at the University of Washington? I know a Czech girl, whose parents moved to New Zealand, and she's going there next autumn.

I dislike drowning too, but I used it figuratively, in a good sense. Drowning in the dream could mean to fail to see reality, but I'm not like that; it probably means that I put dreams highly, as without them, one has little. I don't care what you call me or how you shorten it, or whether you use accents or not, or anything. D&R is fine, or just drom, or anything; I am not self-absorbed, especially when it comes to a 'nom d'Internet.' The language is called Avïen- I don't know why they named it that- and I'm writing up a guide to it right now. It is rather easy to pick up, but it's nice to hear, and it's interesting to see from where words come; it's very analytical in making words, like German. All the adjectives and adverbs are regular, and instead of having various endings for nouns taken from verbs, they're all the same: (like abolish= abolän; abolition= f'aboläk. Advise= conselen; advice= f'conselek.) I'm expecting that it's around 300, but it could be more. Our family did get around!

Thanks, although I'll have a few years until I have to start worrying about that.

Your name suits you; it reminds me of nature somehow, especially of leaves and drizzle falling gently into puddles. I never really cared for my given name either.

Hmmmm, here's an interesting one.

Pisces Horoscope for week of December 11, 2003

Each week I give my readers homework. A recent assignment was to finish the sentence, "The one thing that keeps me from being myself is __________." Many respondents filled in the blank with "my fears." Other common answers were "lack of money," "my spouse," and "my obsession with everyone's images of me." But the best contribution was from Ann-Marie at www.getunderground.com. She said, "The one thing that keeps me from being myself is people's reluctance to lick patent leather." By not taking herself too seriously, she showed that nothing can keep her from being herself. Drawing inspiration from her sterling example, Pisces, finish this sentence in a more humorous way than you normally might: "The one thing that keeps me from being myself is __________."

Not sure what my answer is. Thinking, thinking .....
What about you?

Nothing.. if you can't be yourself, what can you be? Being true to yourself is the only real truthfulness; whether everything else be true is just a matter of opinion.

GEMINI:

Unforeseen problems with travel could rear their ugly heads today, dear Gemini. Changes or delays in airline schedules, cars breaking down, or horrendous traffic might come up, so if you can, it might be a good idea to avoid travel of any sort. It might stress you out so much it would take you all day to calm down! This is, however, a great day to stay in and read, especially about scientific or metaphysical subjects - or anything that interests you.

Sounds like a typical travel experience to me, dròm_et_rêve!

Hi Dròm and MsOlga -- I'm back! Had a great time, though like the travel horoscope, we had a few changes & glitches, but all in all, a super time! I think anyone who predicts horrendous traffic is likely to be correct.

D - you asked if I'd ever been to Barcelona -- nope, but I was given a book of Gaudi architecture when I was in college and have always admired him. Next time THAT would be the place to go, I think. I'd also like to see more parts of the coast and I'd like to walk in the Pyrennes. I've heard there was a pilgrimage path that would be interesting to me. As for Mexico, we've always stayed at the same place... sometimes taking the train, usually driving. This time we're flying. It was while we were driving once that Mr.P & I came across a town called Magdalena, where Father Kino was buried. That sparked a big interest for us in the history of his work (some good, some bad). We've always enjoyed the memories of that place -- and last month I met someone whose mother and family came from that very small town. It's an odd, small world!

You asked about my major... it was Psychology. I was not a rat runner though. I liked the stuff that Konrad Lorenz wrote about and worked at imprinting chicks not very successfully, studied crows, macaques and some other wild critters (including humans).

Now where do you guys find the most accurate horoscopes? I used to get a really good one from an Excite link called Astrologers but can't find it any more. As it's my BIRTHDAY WEEK I want to get a nice overview of the next year!

Hey Clary, mine is in the coming week.

I don't think I have a very good astrology site, but then again, here is what it said for Friday... and as it happened, I think this did.

Hey, Piffka & Clary, which days are your birthdays?

Clary

I find Free Will Astrology a bit of fun .... That's where most of my Pisces ones I've posted here are from.

Thanks, MsO
Say hi to Albert Park for me!

Well Olga, since I am having to make decisions concerning whether or not to stay married - this is really appropriate!
SAGITTARIUS for the week starting 11th Dec
I saw the Acura commercial on TV tonight. The car was driving through a remote high desert. Through the magic of computer graphics, it seemed to be creating the road as it moved, laying down paved blacktop where before there was only dirt. I thought of you immediately, Sagittarius. You're in a comparable situation, right? There's no path where you're going, so you'll have to make it for yourself as you proceed.

That's a beaut!

Cool idea for a commercial! Mine is the 17th. When is yours?

Hmmm, this just in! I wish everybody could be a Sagittarius ~

SO IS MINE THE 17TH!!
Wouldn't it be great if everyone were Sags like us? Easy going, optimistic, spontaneous, sloppy, doing silly things. That son of yours who lost his ticket - also a Sag?

Piffka and Clary: I hope you have wonderful birthdays. Wow... almost everyone in this thread has something to do with Sagittarius. What a coincidence about the Birthdays!

I'm glad to hear that you had a great time, Piffka. Did you get to see everything that you wanted to see? Did Mr. P get to work on time despite the glitches and traffic? I think that the astrologer took into account my being near Birmingham (with the awful M6, where one goes at 3 mph if lucky.

Barcelona is wonderful; you would love it. I usually fly to Barcelona, spend a few days there, get a train to Santander, and then a bus to Santillana, rather than going around in the Madrid heat or to Bilbao. What part of the coast would you like to see- up on the Costa del Verde on the North, or down at the South of Spain? I remember the first time when I went to Spain; we drove through from Toulouse to the Spanish border, the Pyrénées and vast expanses of green on all four sides of us. I vowed to return, and will this July. There is a pilgrimage path near the Pyrénées? Driving down and seeing everything on the way through Mexico, occasionally stopping to have a bite to eat or to enjoy the scenery sounds really nice. That being said, it could also turn into a very stressful experience, especially when travelling all the way from Washington State. I've been to Mexico only once, as I was invited to the (forth?) wedding of my erstwhile Spanish teacher, Mrs. C___r. It was in Tampico, but I had a few hours walking around Mexico City. They divorced each other after a matter of months.

Wow; what are the odds of that occurring? It's amazing how the world works; I meet people from years ago all around the place when I go 'home,' all the time. That is not spectacularly wonderful, as, apart from this lad who went to Bristol, I was the only one who left Birmingham at all. What was weird was when I met an ex in Vienna, who was bringing their new partner on holiday, and had booked a room- yes- in the same hotel as I had. That was a major cringe, worsened by the fact that, whenever I went to a major attraction, they were there, faux-friendlily imploring me to join them. Ach. Whether it be dumb luck, fate, or something else, I don't know.

Hey! Clary... birthday twins! I think we do have the most fun! That son of mine, btw, is a Taurus... quite grumpy unless jollied around. How do you plan to celebrate this year? I'm probably going to make my family go to the Christmas Revels and dance. My daughter works in a bakery and has already asked me what sort of cake I want.

Chocolate, I said, with chocolate fudge frosting and and chocolate filling.

Hi Drom! Nah, I didn't get to see even half of what I'd wanted to, but I went four times to the Pike Place Market, so that was OK! We went to the Comedy Underground show which was funny and we went to a great version of A Christmas Carol. The Ghost of Christmas Present was awesome... a tall, handsome bearded and slightly drunken-appearing man in a loose velvet robe showing off a naked chest and something of a beer gut. I cried about Tiny Tim, which is an impressive reaction to a stage production, especially when you know I know the story so well!

Hmmm, as a matter of fact, Mr. P was three hours late to work on Friday. <oops!>

Sounds like it is some trouble getting to Santillana! No train goes directly there? I'd like to see all the coast I haven't seen -- north from Gibralter all the way to France, and east beyond the Granada turnoff all the way to France. I like scenery and I didn't go very far either of the times I traveled to Spain before. Actually, it would be nice to see it by boat! There is a pilgrimmage route... I'm sure I read about it.

The drive from Washington state to Sonora is quite nice, but it is very long. Fun if you have a week or more each way -- as we did when we were students. There's the Grand Canyon and Zion, or the California coast or just going through the inland mountains. Some places are pretty desolate and it is good to bring picnic foods & camping supplies. I think Mexico is especially appealing. I wish I could see Mexico City sometime. Too bad about your teacher's short-lived wedding. Strange coincidence about you and your ex in the same hotel in Vienna. Generally these happenings are supposed to be happier!

Here's the pilgrimage route:

Ooh... that cake would be so irresistable were it not for the calories; still, it's your birthday, and if you can't indulge yourself then, when can you? What are the 'Christmas revels?'

Aw... but at least you had a good time, Piffka! (Things left unfulfilled will be reason enough to go back sometime, though probably not on New Year's Eve, if Washington is anything like the West Midlands-- a few years ago, one had to pay £40 to walk down a street (where all the bars and venues were)!

I imagine that you got some of the shopping out of the way;did you? Who do think was the best at the Comedy Underground show? To stir emotion from any performance is good, but it's particularly impressive from one that is so 'known.'

One can bearly call Santillana a town; it has six very old streets, a few big hills, houses on both sides of the hills, a parador, a handful of shops, a museum... and that's it. It's surprising that so many people come to it (probably off on daytrips from Santander) but there are many French and German people, and as the reason that I'm employed is to talk to them, I'm not complaining. I don't mind the changeovers; in fact, I enjoy them as part of my trip. When it took us 30 hours to get from the middle of England to the top of Spain, I thought everything as an extension of the actual holiday. Everything apart from being stranded in a windy Dover because the coach broke down, that is. Talking about riotous transport systems, it's cheaper for me to go to Prague than to go to Manchester, on the train, which is only an hour and a half away. It's the same in the US, as far as I can gather; $119 return to get from Boston to New York (on a student discount) whereas it's only $180 to get to New Orleans from New York... it's weird.

Both the pilgrimage routes that you've mentioned sound great. I can just imagine the scenery on the St. Jean to Compostela route.. I went through all the towns as far as Puente la Reina, and then went upward. Do you have to walk that, or are you crossing some other way? It is a long way to go, but from just the experience of the first three stops, I know that it would be worth it. The scenery and good times are the two most important things for me on a holiday... some places, I just want to take pictures of every degree around me.

The drive seems like one of them when it's great if you don't have to rush, and stressful if you do. When all these amazing sights are surrounding you, you just want to get out and have a look around. Taking into consideration Mexican heat as well (though it should be better to be around in February than in August), it all builds up into a time where you don't want to have a strict deadline to which you must adhere: that has the potential of being a nasty experience. I take a very special interest in Mexico; it's like no other place. Mexico City, from the few hours that I spent in it, is particularly nice, with all sorts of things to see and do around every corner. They're trying to turn it into the getaway capital for the jetset *cringe*.

I know; her history is amazing... she went all over South America, working for various underground associations; she married an Ecuadorian; she divorced him, and married an English man that she met in El Salvador; he cheated on her, and she married a Scot... it goes on. Argh, that was just a vile experience-- have you ever had something like that happen?

The drive from Washington state to Sonora is quite nice, but it is very long. Fun if you have a week or more each way -- as we did when we were students. There's the Grand Canyon and Zion, or the California coast or just going through the inland mountains. Some places are pretty desolate and it is good to bring picnic foods & camping supplies. I think Mexico is especially appealing. I wish I could see Mexico City sometime. Too bad about your teacher's short-lived wedding. Strange coincidence about you and your ex in the same hotel in Vienna. Generally these happenings are supposed to be happier!

Here's the pilgrimage route:
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birthday extravaganza


My day will be complicated by hijacking husband, who wants to come back to the family on that day after 2 horrendously stressful years - but I think we'll be going out to celebrate. My 2 youngers sons will be home, coming tomorrow, so they will help enormously! I've had some really great bdays so if this year isn't, never mind! I wonder how old you are??

Tauruses are not as grounded as you'd think are they? My Sag son is very organized, which never ceases to amaze me.
Thing about us Sags, we don't go in for regrets, so even if we do insanely stupid things, it passes like a flame in the night!

I would ADORE a choc fudge cake but I'm already too fat. Someone once said Sags were 'fair, fat and forty'. Well, I'm not forty any more.