Happy Samhain!

In the times before Christianity reached the Celtic nations of northwest Europe, the celebration of the last harvest, or Samhain, marked the coming of the dark and solemn time of year between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. It is a time for reflection and self-inventory. It’s a time to honor the ancestors and those who have passed on, as this is the time that the veil between the realm of the dead and the living world is at its thinnest. It’s the time to come to an understanding of the cycle of life, including the great mystery of death.

Samhain survived the rise of Christianity and made its way to the United States through the Scottish and Irish immigrants of the 19th century, and was renamed Halloween. And, like all American holidays, it became commercialized and stripped of most of its meaning.

I’m at a time in my life where I often find myself longing for the deep connection to Nature that I felt when I was much younger. I had a visceral and instinctive understanding of Nature’s seasons and cycles, that years of urban, subtropical living have softened. I also find myself thinking a lot about the cycle of life and the inevitability of death and I want so much to understand more.

I’ll most likely walk around South Beach tonight with friends, admiring the wackiest and the most creative costumes. But I’m also going to take some time this hallowed eve to notice the quietness and stillness of the retreating light, and to consider my life’s cycle and purpose.

On The Issues

We're finally heading into the last year of the Bush regime, and the customary political ridiculousness is in full swing. Unfortunately, most Americans are so worn down by trying to just make ends meet, in this, the richest of nations, that gathering basic information about the presidential candidates seems like a luxury - an academic pursuit. A sickeningly high percentage the eligible voters don't even vote, and those that do, most often do so without having any real idea of their candidate's issues on stances. Our perceptions of those applying for the most important job in the world are created by obnoxious television bullies, gossip mongers and out of context quotes. We tend to vote based on perceived character, often ignoring the candidate's positions on the issues that will affect our lives, our country and the coming history of the world.

In case you'd like to take a minute to see how the candidates' views of how things should be compare with your own....here's a quick little questionairre that does just that. Let me know about your results! Were you surprised?

Happy Genocide Day

The Sound Of Twisted

You know how like when you learn the definition of a word you've never heard of before, and the next day you read it in the newspaper and your boss uses it at the company meeting? Or someone at a party tells you about their recent trip to Palau and you wonder where the fuck Polow is, and then the next day on the travel channel...there's that Samantha Brown sipping Mai-Tai's on the beach in Palau?

Last week, Tony, in an effort to expand my gay culture base, forced me introduced me to "The Sound Of Music." Yep, I'd never seen it before. It really was much better than I thought it would be.

Then, two days later, I visited Stimpy's MySpace page and he had this twisted symphony as his song...

Negativland - "My Favorite Things"

Deeply deranged. I can't get enough of it.