Wednesday, February 27, 2008

WAKE UP, AMERICA!

So I've got me a kindle! No more spending $2 hard earned dollars on huge bulky New York Times and then suffer all that mess of newspaper pages all over my space, particularly when this space is a tiny seat on the subway, with my newspaper encroaching on fellow passengers' laps! Now New York Times costs me under $15/yr, and I am going green, baby, saving all those trees in the Rain Forest.
I am also thinking how great it is going to be when I go to the summer cottage for 3 weeks, and I would not have to lag all those heavy books with me! Or when I go on the plane, and my tiny light kindle is all I'd need to bring with me instead of books, magazines, etc!...
Everyone, do yourself a favor, get yourself one: KINDLE: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device
And, of course, after filling my mind with news, I've got myself thinking:
What the %#@! is wrong with you, America?!
Don't my fellow country-men know that every nation on Earth gets itself a government it truly deserves? And look what we've got now!
In just under 7 years, Bush administration managed to destroy our economy, democracy and whatever itsy-bitsy good will we had in the world.
Why? Karma! We had almost impeached a perfectly good president for no good reason whatsoever! Why should we care where our president's dick is if he rules with his other head?
This does not apply to Bush Jr., of course, because he rules with Cheney's head. In this case, maybe, we should worry about where his whatever is.
But, strangely, we don't worry. We are not even thinking about impeaching our dick of the state because he is a war criminal (Iraq), inept (hurricane Katrina)or that he indebted our nation to, perhaps, the only true potential enemy we have (China).
Maybe, because we are not thinking, period. We are entertained by the news on TV, where pretty anchors relish tidbits of political campaigns which they treat like a boxing match.
We don't even know for the most part what the candidates are campaigning about.
I actually took the time, and checked websites of Clinton, Obama, and McCain to see what they stand for, and what they promise.
I, by the way, became a registered democrat during the Clinton impeachment mini-series, promising to myself that from now on I would vote only for democrats out of sheer principle.
I am about to break this promise.
I was never a fan of Hillary Clinton. Let's face it: she does not inspire warm feelings. But I like what she wants to do for this country and how sincerely (rare political trait) she wants to do it. On top of it, her every promise is backed by detailed plans that appear to be doable and fair.
Besides, in my mind, her candidacy always carried an extra bonus of her charismatic husband with brilliant upper head.
But I am not going to vote for her.
Because she wants to withdraw from Iraq before we cleaned up a mess we made there.
My dear fellow Americans, what kind of good will may we possibly have in the world, if we destroy a country for no better reason than oil it has, leave its citizens destitute and in mortal danger on everyday basis, without viable governance and any hope for the future? How's that for Karma?
Yes, I am going to vote for McCaine, the evil Republican, and not because he feels some moral obligation towards citizens of Iraq, but because he wants our army remain there (for whatever reason), so it can help to reconstruct that poor country - and I do feel moral obligation towards it, even though I marched in every rally against the Iraq war.
But America is going to vote for Obama, a guy, who is offering it such a huge socialistic dream, he could not possibly fulfill one tenth of it. I feel bad for all his followers, particularly African-Americans who really think we are "turning the page". Since all Obama is doing is feeding America the unfulfillable empty promises, all the excitement that is following his campaign is going to turn into huge disappointments.
But America is going to vote for Obama. What a bummer!...

Monday, February 25, 2008

Sun Problems

I've got Western Astrology under the belt long time ago. In fact, I have been such a good Western Astrologer that for 9 years I was able to make a pretty good living doing what I love without writing books or even advertising - strictly through the word of mouth.
By the end of 1990s, I thought I've got Vedic Astrology under my belt as well, and started using Vedic Astrology in my forecastings for clients.
Of course, I have always been my #1 client. And, as of lately, I've failed myself.
Vedic Astrology has attracted me long ago by being able to predict whole periods (in chunks of many years) with unfailing (so far) accuracy - but then astrological predictions are only as good as the knowledge of the astrologer who is making them.
Personally, for the last 20 years I lived through my Venus period.
As the ruler of my 11th house of opportunities located in my 10th house of career in my Vedic chart, Venus has been my success planet.
Appropriately, this period started in 1986 during my last semester in college. You can say that practically all my adult life I was under my success star (up to now).
And it's true, up to now I have been successful in all my endeavors. No, I am not rich or famous.
But I have been able to eke a decent living doing what I like and living the way I like.
It has not been all bed of roses. My father died during this period, I cried through the end of my first marriage and few other heartbreaks.
Professionally, however, I was doing well even though I changed my money making venues from time to time as my life was turning one way or the other.
Finally, my Venus period ended in December of 2006, and I have entered my Sun period.
I anticipated this change. My Sun is the money planet in my Vedic chart. It rules the 2nd house of finances and is located in the 11th house of opportunities and gains.
I expected nothing less but monetary windfall. My Sun is relatively strong (it is a Vargottama - for those who speak Vedic) and is nicely aspected.
Of course, I realized that I needed to prepare the way for big money to come in. So in my last year of Venus period I cooked up an idea of big business and went straight for it.
But as soon as my Sun period began, my big business plans went bust, I got seriously ill (pneumonia) and separated from my second husband.
As an astrologer, I had all these possibilities in mind. Sun is a separative planet in general, and as a ruler of the 2nd house, it can kill either me or someone in my family (or both). But I am an optimist and always hope for the best.
Besides, pneumonia did not kill me (it came close though), the end of big business dreams did not hurt all that much, and separation from my husband came as a great relief.
I was still making good money with the business I started 8 years ago, in my 5th month of pregnancy, when I realized that my evenings and weekends must belong to my family and I could no longer do astrology as business.
But I have almost lost that business too at the end of last October, as my major client suddenly went bust.
Now, 4 months later, my business is barely alive, money is scarce, and so are my hopes for a sunny Sun period.... Where did I go wrong? All good Vedic astrologers out there, any thoughts on this Sun problems?

Sunday, February 24, 2008

web 2.0

I must confess, I am totally new to the web 2.0.
I've joined a few networking sites in hopes of making some meaningful contacts, to promote my blog, and...
Everyone is a writer. There are no readers. Everyone is selling something, mostly scams.
Spam is filling every discussion, and groups seem to exist to multiply this spam.
Every "networking site" tries to emulate My Space, which is also filled with spam and scams.
It is so easy to get lost on this web 2.0, it's scary. It is an absolutely unreal world, which seems to feed on desperation of very disconnected people. And the more they spend time on those sites, the more they get disconnected from the real world.
But it is addictive, very much like television.
I just realized that I spent this most wonderful sunny day, capped with very rare New York snow, in doors in front of my laptop.
Usually, on days like this, I would be out sledding, making snowmen, revisiting my childhood...
What a sad, sad waste of my precious life moments...

Monday, February 18, 2008

Have no fear - God is here

Yesterday my son had 104' fever second day in the row. I was on the verge of panic. I did everything I knew to bring his fever down: Motrin every 6 hrs, Tylenol every 4 hrs, tea with lemon and honey every 1.5 hrs, sponge baths with water and vinegar. Yet the fever would go down a few points for a short while and then come right back.
Then my estranged husband (we have peacefully separated in September) calls and says that the lab results for his mouth tumor are positive for cancer. Now I am PANICKING.
On those days when I don't see my husband, I rarely hate him. Yesterday I did not hate him. I needed him, as I always do when my child is seriously sick and I feel insecure. So after these news I find myself by the window, smoking away a whole lot of incongruent feelings: I am sorry for my husband, who is a 43 y.o good looking guy, who just lost his mother to cancer and really has no one but us and his very old father; I feel sorry for me, foreseeing having to look after him (just when I thought I got rid off him), him losing his job and me losing my child support.
Then my 7 y. o. child interrupts my sorry thoughts:
-I really don't like these people!
-What people?
-All of them. They torture and kill animals, dirty the air with their cars, and even kill other people!
-Well, it is true, honey. But they really don't intend to do as much harm as they do. If they knew all the extend of the harm they do, they would never act that way. All people want to be good. Absolutely all of them. Most of them just don't know how. That's why when Jesus Christ was dying on the cross, he said to God, "Please forgive them they know not what they do."
-Why would God even let them? (do what they do). What if they mean to be bad? Would God still love them?
-Of course, they are His children. Say, for instance, aunt Irina: she has her son Alexey, who is a very good smart boy. She is very proud of him. He is her joy. But she also has Andrey, who is not as smart, and can behave very badly. But she loves him no less than Alexey. She just worries about him more. So God worries more about bad people, but does not love them any less.
Besides, if everyone was good, and everything went perfectly, how people would know if they are kind - if there was no one who needed their kindness? Or brave - if there were no dangers?
- I am not brave. I am afraid of aliens.
-Well, you just have to remember that God loves you very much. Even more than I do. Because I am imperfect, and He is perfect. If you remember that, He would not let anything bad happen to you. Just tell yourself, "Have no fear - God is here".
And then I thought, did not I just told myself what to do?...