Fun With Words

Yes, I realize I'm nearly a week late in posting. As it stands, better late than never the way I've been feeling.

I haven't made any progress with my writing projects, although I did complete a critique for someone. And I've been reading a lot.

I'm starting to feel a little better, though, and I'm hoping I can start chipping away at revisions for Dead As Dreams either later this week or next week. I'd love to get a full revision done by mid-June, since I plan to go to the In Your Write Mind retreat, and I'd like to be able to pitch. We'll see how things work out.

Since I've been dealing with morning sickness, though, I thought it would be fun to examine the term. Morning sickness is a true misnomer. For most women, morning sickness doesn't just happen in the morning (mine is actually worse at night). So, why is it called morning sickness? From some of the stuff I've looked at on the internet, my guess is it's because most cases doctors observed happened in the mornings.

But since my brain doesn't like to shut off, I thought of another interesting way the word "morning" could be perceived. Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters. The first trimester could be considered morning, the second afternoon, and the third evening. Most morning sickness (except for some extreme cases that can last the entire pregnancy) happens during the first trimester. So, it's during the "morning" portion of pregnancy.

Do I think too much? Maybe. But it's still fun to consider, in my opinion.

OK, enough about silly words. It's still not too late to join Writing Quest - May for those interested!

NEXT UP: At this point, no clue! Some time in June there will be another Magic Is Reality, Reality Is Magic entry, but I can't promise exactly what I'll post before then. ;)

Magic Is Reality, Reality Is Magic: Beltane

Magic is Reality, Reality is Magic is a series that highlights aspects of religions, particularly Paganism. We pull things from everyday life to use in our fiction. Magic is one of the key attributes of fantasy. Why not explore the realm of magic that many people already have in their lives?

Picture By By Michael Maggs May 1 heralds Beltane, also called May Day. It's a day that represents fertility and a day to celebrate all the earth has to offer us. We're firmly in spring and everything is growing around us, giving us the bounty of the earth. Life is the central focus of celebration on Beltane. One of the main colors of this sabbat is green, unsurprisingly.

The most well-known symbol of Beltane is the Maypole, which traditionally used to be the trunk of a tree. Ribbons hanging from the Maypole are part of the Maypole dance. However, there is another large symbol for this sabbat, and that's the balefire, or Beltane fire. Fire can be seen as a clear representation of life, and the balefire is a central symbol of Beltane. Also prominent to Beltane celebrations are garlands, chaplets, and baskets of flowers--flowers that are blooming and prolific during this time of year.

Beltane is a wonderful sabbat to read about, and if you'd like to learn more, you may wish to look at the following websites to start with: Beltane, All About Beltane, and Beltane--Holiday Details and History.

Further Reading Suggestions:

Grimassi, Raven. Beltane. St. Paul: Llwellyn Publications, 2001.

I hope you found this tidbit interesting! If you would like me to touch on a particular topic that fits in this series, please don't hesitate to contact me with suggestions.

NEXT UP: May 8 - Monthly Update

2 Days Late, 2 Dollars Short?

Yup, post was supposed to happen Wednesday. Unfortunately, barfing while brushing my teeth kind of derailed my entire day.

Nope, not kidding. I'm not sick-sick though. I'm actually pregnant--9 weeks along and all day morning sickness is happily destroying my life. I should really be paying bills right now instead of blogging. =/

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have a second child on the way, I just hate the nausea! And the couch is my constant friend. I've been watching far too many judge shows lately because it's hard to think when I'm trying to make sure I don't barf my brains out.

Yes, this means blog posts will still be less frequent for a while, and writing progress will be slow. Hopefully in the next month, the morning sickness will let up so I can get some work done before the baby arrives in November (yup, no NaNoWriMo for me this year - lol).

I was originally going to examine what a misnomer morning sickness is in this post, but I'm lucky to have gotten this much written. Time to go pay those bills!

But don't forget Writing Quest - April!

Oh, and just for fun:

NEXT UP: Maybe something on the 17th, but not sure what. If not, May 1 will be a post on Beltane!

Magic Is Reality, Reality Is Magic: Ostara

Magic is Reality, Reality is Magic is a series that highlights aspects of religions, particularly Paganism. We pull things from everyday life to use in our fiction. Magic is one of the key attributes of fantasy. Why not explore the realm of magic that many people already have in their lives?

Picture By Will Merydith Ostara, or Spring Equinox, is one of the two sabbats that signifies that the day and night are of equal length. This day is also considered the first day of Spring, which usually lands around March 20-22. Ostara is a time that represents the sun's return to dominance, as once this day passes, the days will grow longer and the nights shorter.

Many of the symbols of Ostara are the same as those used for Easter celebrations. Eggs are considered the most prominent symbol of Ostara. They are a symbol of fertility. Each color used to dye eggs has a different meaning. For example, pink can represent love or peace. The rabbit or hare is another symbol associated with Ostara. This symbol is derived from a tale of Eostre, the Goddess of Spring--a small hare offered her eggs as a gift.

Would you like to know more about Ostara? If so, you may want to start with the following websites: History of Ostara, Ostara, All About Ostara, the Spring Equinox, and You Call It Easter, We Call It Ostara.

Further Reading Suggestions:

McCoy, Edain. Ostara. St. Paul: Llwellyn Publications, 2003.

I hope you found this tidbit interesting! If you would like me to touch on a particular topic that fits in this series, please don't hesitate to contact me with suggestions.

NEXT UP: April 3 - Monthly Update