Meeting Persephone

The past couple of weeks have been spent working on Mini-Me's costume for RenFest. Her busy schedule hasn't exactly left much time for fittings let alone design plans so I'm essentially winging it. When she is home she is frequently discussing the bizarre having recently developed a fascination with Elmo (of Sesame Street fame), sporks, and generally trying to freak me out and push my buttons. This is not conducive to great works in the costume department though I'm attempting to compile layers of ensemble that will please her and fit in well at the Festival. She's decided she wants to go as a gypsy. Unfortunately her costume appears to be coming out a bit fancier than I wanted, but I'm proud to say that I've found an "amulet" (or what is meant to be an amulet) that is so incredibly rustic looking it does a nice job of toning down a "too nice" costume for her chosen part.

The benefit to this task has been getting out of my own head for days at a time. Physically it's a bitch. I won't lie. Slaving over a sewing machine, cutting, stitching, hand stitching, drawing, and stress do not lend themselves to my physical comfort as I'm relatively decrepit. But it is nice to dwell on something of such little consequence. Thankfully Homecoming has come and gone so RenFest is now the only pressing issue. Well in this house anyway....

However, when I do turn on the computer I have to face realities that I'd rather ignore. I'm quite happy to dwell in my own oblivion. It's a nice place where I can keep unpleasantness limited to doses I can manage. But when I once again approach reality, I am bombarded by the ugliness that is becoming more present and readily accessible (if not thrown directly at me) and it's disheartening to say the least.

What goes up must come down. Fortunately Sarah Palin seems to be going down which is a relief. However, the economy is also taking a dump of catastrophic proportions as well. And it's also come to my attention that now the regular Army is to be available to the pResident as needed in cases of terror, disaster, and "civil unrest" - to do his bidding at his will. There are probably a few ways to look at this, but I tend to focus on 2. The first one is fear - fear of Martial Law and what he might deem "civil unrest". We already know he's more than happy to lock up people who have opposing opinions from his. How much further will the "this would be so much easier if it were a dictatorship" pResident go in the seemingly short time he has left... and will it be a short time left in office? The second is - if our National Guard and Reserves were at home rather than fighting an unjust and illegal war, we'd have absolutely no need for the "blooded" brigade to maintain the order on our own soil.

Images of Nazi Germany infiltrate my mind during times like these. It makes it only too clear why I prefer to remain in my own mind than to come up for air and be more and more stymied by the further plummeting of our nation's condition. I rather enjoy being an idealistic socialist - no room for us in this current state though. So while watching the debate tonight via internet, I had only one real lucid thought going through my mind that pertains to the state of our country.

Courtesy of Benjamin Franklin: "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Favorite quote from the debate tonight.... "he may be a dictator - but he's our dictator" - Barack Obama (was he talking about Bush??)