I'm not dead yet!

 I'm not dead yet! I know I said about two months ago that there'll be a new episode any day now, but this time it's for real. I have segments recorded and everything. I'm a big boy now! I can run a podcast! Moum! I can roun arcoss the porp!  I did change my mind about the topic, though.  Because it's that most witchiful time of the year (please don't kill me for that), I decided to put off talking about prayer (promise it's not an Inciting a Prayerful Riot clone!), and reflect on a few Samhainy, Halloweeny, [Pagan] New Yearish stuff.  Also, you get to hear about how I was super sick in September, and how I run a club, and how boys are stupid.  So, yeah.

Also, Fire Lyte from over at Inciting a Riot has, with his Ep59--Inciting a Motivated Riot, inspired me to do my own Do the Stuff Challenge.  My theme is Spiritual and Physical Fitness!  My base goals for the coming six months are

• Perform a ritual for EVERY sabbat, full moon, and new moon
• Maintain my altars properly: don't let the holy water run out, make sure the candles are fresh, make offerings at least once a week (probably on Sunday, my least busy day)
• Meditate at least thrice weekly
• Hit the gym at least three times a week.  I know what I gotta do, so I gotta just bloody do it!
• Eat healthily: balanced meals, homemade bread, minimal [HF]CS and processed foods
• Eat enough: three big meals, with plenty of healthy snacking in between

I've just now cleansed and rededicated my altars, and also rededicated myself, so here we go!  It'll be a ride, for sure!  I'll post updates here, along with episodes.  Hope you'll come along with me for the ride!

Also, Good Samhain to all y'all who reckon it by the moon!  For the rest of us on the solar calendar, Good Be-earlied Samhain!  Blessed be!

Reish Rambling promo!

A general promo for the show, if you'd like to pimp it on your podcast :)

Credit, as always, to Kevin MacLeod for the music, Cold Funk, from his site incompetech.com, available under CC-BY 3.0.

Roadtrip photos, part deux

Yet more excitement!

Some building somewhere.

This was an amazing, trashy diner about 1 hour outside Statesville, NC.  The waitress was from FL, and her family from NJ.

Anachronistic signage, ahoy!

Crossing the Great Smoky Mountains.

It's beautiful.  Pictures cannot capture it.  Go visit the Appalachians.

Sam's Cats!

The Bijou theatre in Knoxville.  Formerly a brothel, it is now quite cultured (or so we're told :p).

More Knoxville!

The Tennessee Theatre, the old(est) theatre in Knoxville.

BI.'.JOU.'.  Also, I believe that tall thing is part of the courthouse.

Historical monuments about pioneers, near the old courthouse.  There are also monuments to the Sevier family, which included the second governor of TN.

Cannon!

Spanish-American War memorial. Also, near here some lady in a convertible asked us, "Do y'all know where dey let the paddywagons out?" Sometimes stereotypes are true, apparently.

The current courthouse.

Justice, outside the courthouse.

A street!

There are some pretty cool statues in Knoxville.

This is near Market Square, I think...

Women's suffrage monument in Market Square.

More suffrage monument, and also memorial bricks.

Many, many thanks to Cory from New World Witchery for recommending so many excellent places to visit on this trip!  Thank you!
And also, though they probably won't see this, many thanks to Lara and SamTS for having us and taking us out, Lisa's mom for underwriting our hotel stays, and, of course, my dear Lisa herself, saint of patience and the best travel buddy I could wish for!

New episode is upcoming, with actual Pagan/spiritual content, and also a science segment, and maybe even a folktale (yes, I'm jumping on that ol' bandwagon).  I'm writing it right now.  Hopefully will get it out by the end of the week.  Bits of video from the trip will are also upcoming.

Pictures from the roadtrip!

All taken by my dear friend and traveling companion, Lisa.

Hittin' the road on good ol' NJ 31

First step into a larger world: Crossin' the Delaware!

"I'm in a state of P-fuckin'-A!"

Mercury Retrograde at work!  Thankfully, this was the biggest problem he caused.

We crossed the Atlantic many times :p

PA Dutch country in Lancaster. This is a more interesting version of what we saw during a good portion of our trip. SO MUCH CORN!

Lancasterrrrrrr!  This is an adorable town.  You should visit it.

The War Memorial in Lancaster.

More War Memorial.

Public pianos in Lancaster!  It was adorable.

More piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiano.  The notice on it asks you not to play after 10pm, because all of us employed people need to sleep.

More Lancaster.  I don't know why Lisa took this picture, but she probably had a good reason.  Also, I probably stood there like a dork and took several minutes of footage of this one street.  I'm a dork.

Lancaster is tiny, but it has modern sensibilities.

Lancaster also has lots of beautiful old churches.

These kids saw us filming and called us over.  We had a cute conversation.  The youngest one is out of the frame here.  They were waiting for the bus to Bible School.  Also, they asked if Lisa was my girlfriend, which shouldn't've been funny, but it was.

This church is amazing on the inside.

I told you so :p  Also, the organist who was practicing sounded amazing.

Oddly enough, this was in a town called Railroad.  We were lost.

Trails in Spring Valley Park, which is impossible to find without a York County map. It's near/part of Rehmeyer's Hollow.

It was a lovely hike.  This is probably the cutest I looked throughout the entire trip.  Because I'm attempting to stand up straight and you can't see my shamefully scruffy face.

More of the park.  It's beautiful.

Artistic shot!

An actual red phone booth!  Wow!

Mercury Retrograde at work (along with our tax dollars).

Small towns. This was kind of large, actually, compared to most of the towns we went through in VA and NC.

The War Memorial in Leonardtown.

More Leonardtown.  While we didn't go searching for this legend, this was the home town of Moll Dyer, who was accused of witchcraft in the latter part of the 1600s, and froze to death in the woods nearby after being run out of town.  A stone allegedly bearing her hand or knee prints was recovered from the woods and placed in front of the courthouse.

Salvaged Civil War cannon in Leonardtown.

On the road again.

The scenery was sooooo beautiful.  There was just a lot of it.

IT ACTUALLY EXISTS!  ...I believe this was in NC.

Saw these in NC.  To me, they look like more or less preserved sharecroppers' houses.

Some were in better shape than others.

Anachronistic gas pump ahoy!

Jersey driver just pumpin' that gas.  I look like a huge dickhead.  But this was a pretty cool gas station.

Lots of old houses on this trip.

The Outer Banks.  It's like going home.

The water was actually quite warm and calm on that day.  It was also low tide when we were there.

Me again, slouching because I'm graceless and my back was trying to secede and form its own CSA.

The lovely Lisa, grateful that we're out of the bloody car, and also that we're by the water.  She is such a saint of patience.

Currituck Sound.

More Currituck Sound, with seagulls.

Part II coming tomorrow (electricity permitting). Blogspot just vomited and deleted about half of the post, and I'm too tired to fix it. But enjoy these pictures! I hope they will make my rambly narrative more exciting <.<