Never Before Used: Rabbit Tarot

For my birthday last year, Robert bought me as part of his "cute rabbit stuff" gift a set of rabbit tarot cards.  Adorable and perfect, right?  I had admired them but not used them until my birthday this year.  I totally played the "it's my birthday!" card (ahem) to get Robert to consent to having his fortune read on the rabbit tarot cards.

Through sheer dumb luck amazing mystical power, Robert generated one of the best and most appropriate arrangements of 10 tarot cards that I've ever seen.

I was fully prepared to bring my narrative-building skillz to bear on an ambiguous, nonsensical, negative, etc., set of cards to develop a reasonably upbeat and coherent message.  But perhaps the gods were feeling generous because they knew I am out of practice reading tarot cards because his cards were just logical and awesome.

Here are his cards (click to enlarge):
 

 Go ahead and squee for a while at the overwhelming cuteness on display.  I'll wait.

You can't see the first one in this photo so here it is:

There are 6 major arcana, 2 face cards, and 2 numbered cards in his layout.  (The deck contains 22 major arcana, 16 face cards, and 40 numbered cards.)  This high number of major arcana is considered evidence of a "strong" reading.  (Bonus question:  What is the probability of getting 6 or more major arcana when drawing 10 cards from this deck?  Do we get a probability less than .05 and reject the null hypothesis?)

I interpreted the cards using my classic tarot book, but I will include here, in blue, the text from the materials supplied by the creator of the cards. (I am looking at her notes now for the first time.)  I will also comment on how it differs from my more traditional reading if the difference is significant.

Card 1: Present Condition - Strength

Strength is a subtle and powerful rabbit. Courageous, determined and mindful, Strength indicates physical strength, fortitude, and conquest over adversity. It can indicate accomplishment or attainment after difficulty. Strength takes charge of a situation or responsibility for actions. 

Traditional reading -- similar.

This is a great card to represent one's current condition. (I thought the drawing had a bit of a, "I've got the fox, now what the hell do I do with him?" feel that is not entirely inappropriate to the situation.)

Card 2: Immediate Influence - 8 of Pentacles (Daisies)

There can be feelings of disappointment. The Eight of Daisies often points to a misunderstanding, and a need for more information.

Traditional reading -- "Apprenticeship. Craftsmanship. Fast to learn. Candor. Frankness. Modesty. Handiwork. Personal effort."

This card is widely interpreted as the card of apprenticeship, so I don't understand the rabbit tarot reading. I interpret the effort, candor, and learning aspects as key here.

Card 3: Goal or Destiny - The Fool

This foolish rabbit is impulsive and unrestrained. This card often signifies irrational people or actions that are not thought out. It sometimes heralds a new and sometimes risky venture, a flight of fancy, or an act of carelessness. Though possibly a lot of fun, the Fool is not to be taken too seriously, and signifies impulsive joy, excitement or play without thought to consequences.

Traditional reading -- similar, though greater emphasis on adventure and enthusiasm (IMO)

A "strength" type person might very readily wish for a life with a bit more fun and excitement and turning down the conscientiousness meter.  I know I certainly value Robert's silliness.

Card 4: Distant Past Foundation - The Hierophant

The Hierophant is a mysterious and wise rabbit. His advice can be inspired, yet oftentimes hard to hear or understand. This card can also indicate actions with far reaching consequences, small steps towards bigger efforts that may not be obvious.

Traditional reading -- "Ritualism. Ceremonies. Mercy. Humilities. Kindness. Goodness. Forgiveness. Inspiration. Alliance. Compassion. Servitude. Inactivity. Lack of conviction. Timidity. Overt reserve. Captivity to one's own ideas. A person to whom one has recourse. Conformity. A religious or spiritual leader. At times this person is inept in adapting to new cirumstances and changing conditions. Tendency to cling to former ideas and principles even if outdated. A person with a deep sense of historical importance and a sincere appreciation for past heritage."

Robert and I both glommed onto the latter part of that traditional description.  Robert was like, "So in the distant past, I had an appreciation for the distant past. True."  But I also like the sense of the rabbit tarot that the distant past was building a foundation for the future without him realizing it.

Card 5: Recent Past Events - 6 of Cups (Tulips)

The Six of Tulips is a card of memories and nostalgia. There may be feelings of regret due to paths not taken. The Six of Tulips sometimes refers to childhood events or a turning point in the past.

Traditional reading -- similar.

Robert was like, "So in the recent past, I have been thinking about the past.  OK."

Card 6: Future Influence - The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune is the rabbit of change. Fate, destiny, kismet and luck are all tied into the pivotal points of the wheel, and pulling this card indicates a turning point, literally. There may be a coming together of people or an event that precipitates change.

Traditional reading -- similar.

Robert was like, "So my future will be affected by fate, and things will happen in the future."

I loved turning over the next four cards (the previous ones were shown one by one) and quickly seeing, Ooooh, these are all good ones!

Card 7: The Questioner - King of Pentacles (Daisies)

The King of Daisies is an experienced leader or respected man. He is moral but not very social or

easy to understand. The King of Daisies is often in a position of some authority or in command of some wealth, but not extravagant or showy. He can be somewhat cold and logical, but capable of generosity in the right circumstances. He is also hard to deceive and impatient at times with emotional matters.

Traditional reading -- similar but with details I liked a lot for Robert: "An experienced and successful leader. A person of character and intelligence. Business acumen. Mathematical ability. Loyal friend. Reliable in marriage. Successful businessman. Wise investments. Affinity to acquire money and valuable possessions."

This along with Strength makes two really, um, strong cards to represent Robert.  Even the more negative aspects of the rabbit tarot reading are apt: not very social, can be (or seem) cold and logical.

Card 8: Environmental Factors (both influence of questioner on others and others on questioner) - Judgment

The Judgment rabbit is a wake up call. The blast of the horn symbolizes awakening, and

can also be a call to action. It can indicate an important opportunity or decision and also announce a coming event of some significance.

Traditional reading -- "Atonement. Judgment. The need to repent and forgive. The moment to account for the manner in which we have used our opportunities. The possibility that present conduct toward other people is unfair and unkind. Rejuvenation. Rebirth. Improvement. Development. Promotion. The desire for immortality. The possibility exists that someone is taking unfair advantage of you and will be sorry in the future. Legal judgment in one's favor. The outcome of a lawsuit or personal conflict. One should carefully consider present actions as they affect other persons. Success will come easier if you are honest with yourself."

Robert was like, "So for my influence on other people, I should consider my influence on other people.  And think about how others are influencing me."

Card 9: Inner Emotions (and inner hopes) - King of Wands (Sticks)

The King of Sticks is an honest and thoughtful man. He is fair in his dealings and careful in handling

money, friendships and practical matters. He is open to different matters of opinion, and enjoys a debate about politics and religion. Emotionally he may not be passionate, but does feel things deeply even if he doesn’t always express them.

Traditional reading -- "This card denotes an honest and conscientious person. Mature. Wise. Devoted. Friendly. Sympathetic. Educated. A gentleman. Generally married. Fatherly."

Even Robert's secret inner self is a totally stand-up dude.  Robert was like, "So I secretly want to be honest."

Several cards have alluded to Robert's generosity and sympathy along with reservedness and not-social-ness, and this rings true to me.  Hence people often can't really tell if Robert likes them or not, but animals are all, "Oh, he's so nice!  He really likes me!  This is one of the best humans in the world!"  (And, well, Robert might argue that he just likes animals more than he does people, and I wouldn't disagree.)

Card 10: Final Result - The Lovers

The Lovers are a close pair of rabbits. This card speaks to the heart, love, relationships and the significant other. The Lovers are often an indication of happiness and closeness, physical beauty, emotional fulfillment and passion.

Traditional reading -- similar.

What's better than a bunny?  Two bunnies together!  This is an outcome card to warm a mate's heart.

I mean, look at this card!

Looking at this card and the Strength card, it appears that Robert is the white rabbit and I'm the fox/Dutch rabbit (which he thought was about right).

I thought it funny and appropriate that the literal reading of several of these cards -- the distant past, the past, the future, environmental influences -- fit their positions so perfectly and in some cases, axiomatically: "The future will be influenced by future outcomes!"  If I had handed Robert the tarot deck and the book of card descriptions, these would have been the cards he would have picked to represent those positions because they just make such straightforward sense.

What a fun and gratifyingly upbeat reading for the rabbit tarot's debut!

What to Wear to a Work Holiday Party

Festive Red, Of Course -- Thursday, 12/18/14

A couple of co-workers commented on how festive I looked in this outfit, and I felt fairly festive, too.  Well, there's more to that.  I was actually dreading the party because there was food being served that I couldn't eat (all pasta-based) and I wasn't hungry (I usually eat around 1:00 or 1:30 and the party started at 12:30) and I was just like waaah, what do I do?  I finally decided around 12:45, Screw it, at least I have the good pepper steak to eat, I'll eat that and then go to the party.  So I did.  And it worked out fine.  Everybody was seated, ready for the white elephant exchange to commence shortly (eek), but several people from my group were at the table right next to the door and there were a couple of empty seats (whew) so there was no awkwardness in joining the party already in progress.  I timed it just about right to miss the meal but catch everything else.

And seriously, that pepper steak was so good, I didn't care that I missed out on a free lunch.

*Red/black "scroll/floral" twin set (thrifted, Kohls)
Black fold pencil skirt (JCP)
Black tights (Kohls)
Red buckle flats by Me Too
Gold link chain necklace (Ann Taylor)

In Opposition

Day 27: Opposites Attract -- Wednesday, 12/17/14

Getting into the final stretch before my two week winter vacation but I was keeping up the energy for the 31 Days, 31 Ways challenge.  My take on opposites was actually a kind of three-fold contrast: girly (pearls and pencil skirt), casual (striped T), and a little bit edgy (my ankle boots with the zipper edge).  I thought it all worked.

But I have to disagree with her that peanut butter and Oreos are complete opposites.  Nope.  Peanut butter and bacon, though?  Yeah.  That's a combination that I can't get my head around but that people like Robert swear is magic.  Actually, I cannot fathom Robert referring to anything as "magic" other than in a situation like someone asking, "So what's up with that big glowing ball thing in the university in Skyrim?"  "It's magic."

So instead of magic, let's say:  That people like Robert swear is awesome.

You know what else is awesome?  Star Trek novels.  I know, it seems like they should kind of suck but they don't.  I just finished reading the Star Trek: Next Generation book Contamination and I was pretty much blown away by how fun and satisfying it was.  It was not great literature, but I enjoyed it a lot, and sometimes that's exactly what you want from a book.  Of course, a few weeks earlier, I had been pondering how weird it is that you never find books that combine the science fiction and mystery genres, and I was like, Man, that's a genre that I would consume like peanut butter and Oreos because they are two genres that fit together so naturally.  And then, after packing almost all of my books (including most of the small number of unread books borrowed from my mom last Christmas), I finally finished The Edge of Eternity (and some other random book I wasn't very impressed by and have already forgotten) and had no library books except one that I don't want to read, I think, and I was like...OK, I guess it's this random ass looking Star Trek book for which I have no high expectations.  And I'll be damned, it was a hybrid science fiction mystery!  With the familiar and beloved Next Generation characters!  Woot! 

*Black/white striped long-sleeved T (Kohls) -- it was like $5, so even though I recently bought another similar shirt with the black quilted shoulders (which would have been more Star Trek like to wear), I got this one too.  I heart stripes.
Black travel cardigan (thrifted, Chicos)
Burgundy pencil skirt (Nordstrom)
Black tights
Black ankle boots by Sam Edelman
Double strand pearls (Macy's)

Stuck in Neutral

Day 28: All Neutrals -- Tuesday, 12/16/14

My monster headache had lessened to mere beast levels by Tuesday morning, so back to work I went.  It was not good times, but it was OK.

At least I was dressed in a very easy, comfortable outfit (more stripes!) that kept me warm while I drank iced tea, stared at SPSS syntax and Excel spreadsheets, and tried not to whimper out loud (at which endeavor I believe I succeeded).

And if I recall correctly, that evening Robert and I made an amazingly delicious yet simple pepper steak recipe using some sirloins we had discovered over the weekend during our Great Freezer Cleanout with red/yellow/orange bell peppers, white onions, and copious butter.  Oh. My. God.  It was actually grossing me out a bit while we were cooking it, but the next day at lunch, I was swooning.  It was so good that I ate it for lunch and then again for dinner and then again for lunch the next day!

*Black/grey/cream pullover (thrifted, Dress Barn)
White long-sleeved T (Walmart)
Grey 5 pocket pants (Rafaella)
Cream scarf (thrifted)
Black/grey/white argyle socks (Sock Dreams)
Grey leopard flats by Fergilicious

It Took an Eternity

Book Review: The Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett

4 stars

This is not a perfect book, but it was surprisingly good and engaging to read.  Given the time period it covered (the 1960s-1990s), I didn't think I'd be all that into it, but it was the third book of a trilogy I had enjoyed up to this point, so I girded my loins and picked up this freaking monstrously gigantic book and started to read.  And read.  And read.  If you have been wondering why book reviews have been sparse lately on this blog, it's not just because I've been playing so much Oblivion -- this book took quite a bit of time to get through, even though I kept at it pretty steadily.

But if you aren't scared off by its somewhat intimidating size, it was a very interesting recounting of a period of American history (from a decidedly left-wing point of view) that I at least never studied in school.  I found the civil rights era material the most engaging because it just boggles the mind to think about these things happening so recently, and so many people getting assassinated, and the cops taking part in beating up protesters...and then I think about all the black guys (and kids!) being shot/choked to death in this country right now, and maybe I shouldn't be so shocked.

I also laughed that one of the point of view characters is Jack Kennedy's mistress.  Hah, of course!

The main criticisms on Amazon seem to be (1) too leftist and (2) too much sex.  Often these complaints came from the same people (Spock brow).  I will say that it is undeniably, unapologetically from a left-wing perspective, but I found that interesting.  You do not have to take this as some kind of historical gospel.  If anything, it's a useful contrast to the rah-rah conservative take on these events that is dominant.  As for the sex -- yes, there was sex.  It was not gratuitous...or stupid (like in 9,999,984 of the last 10,000,000 "romantic thrillers" etc. published).  It seemed very reasonable for the context.

Winter is Not an Eternity -- Sunday, 12/14/14

Robert and I spent some time going through closets (including the Harry Potter room), throwing away junk (good-bye 99% of the crap from my grad school career!), and packing boxes of books and such.  It was a somewhat warm day (highs in the 50s), made warmer by all this activity, so I wore a lightweight long-sleeved T and ballet flats!  That's right -- no socks, people.  Don't despair -- it got cold again soon enough, but there was a magical day there where we were reminded that winter won't last forever.  We got a small taste of the spring to come....in another four months or so.

I also inhaled about 300 pounds of dust and got a sinus headache that turned into a migraine and kept me home on Monday.  I almost never do this, but my head was so bad that I ended up eating an early lunch and crashing in bed around noon and sleeping for about 4.5 hours.  (I woke up a few times in a daze to roll over and go back to sleep immediately.)  I could tell that this was the kind of illness sleep that "doesn't count" in some way because I was tired at my normal time Monday night and was thankful to go to bed and fall asleep almost immediately and sleep the whole night long. 

I spent the whole next week battling the aftermath of this onslaught on my sinuses with recurring sinus headaches and an earache at one point.  Bah!  But like 95% of my books are packed, so at least I'm suffering for a higher purpose.

*Grey/silver striped T (Kohls)
Grey jeans (Kohls)
Rose gold ballet flats (thrifted, Old Navy)
Rose/grey pearly "planet" necklace (...? I forget)

Golems and Polka Dots

Book Review:  The Golem of Hollywood by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman

4.5 stars

I like Jonathan Kellerman's series of books featuring the psychologist-sleuth Alex Delaware, but this was an unexpectedly fascinating supernatural detective mystery.  Very unusual subject matter and settings.  More like this one, please, publishing industry!

I am really surprised by how many bad reviews the book gets on Amazon.  I guess the religious/supernatural elements and the way-old back story that parallels the action in the current day was just too bizarre and unexpected for some people.  I loved it that it did not resemble what I have learned to expect from Jonathan Kellerman except for the whole being awesomely entertaining part.

Purple Polka Dot Kid -- Saturday, 12/13/14

I love, love, love the polka dot and striped long-sleeved Ts I bought from Kohls over the Black Friday weekend.  The polka dot ones are lined with striped fabric, and vice versa, so that you can roll up the sleeves for built-in pattern mixing.  This is my kind of shirt!

*Purple polka dot T (Kohls)
Grey jeans (Kohls)
Grey ankle boots by Seychelles
*Purple/gold necklace (Macy's)

Less than a week later, I saw another take on purple polka dots with grey jeans on Putting Me Together.  Great minds.  I, however, will avoid mustard like the plague it is to my hair and skin colors.  That's just a no-go for me, completely. But adding a navy jacket? I could see that.

From Putting Me Together

Also, I feel compelled to point out, she's wearing grey jeans with cognac boots.  It's so totally a thing.  Just not my thing.

And yeah, her photographs are 1000 times better than mine.  I mean, you actually see the colors she's wearing!  Sigh.

Ambitious Friday Outfit

I am featuring a complex style challenge: 2 personal challenges plus Debbie's two scarf challenge.  Friday, 12/12/14.

Personal Challenge #1: Wear my black skinny-ish ankle pants with a normal length top to work.

I had felt comfortable wearing them with a longer tunic or cardigan, but could I rock them with, say, a pullover sweater?  They are actual pants -- not leggings -- so this is a totally legit combo but a bit out of my comfort zone.

Personal Challenge #2: Wear black pants tucked into tall cognac boots.  I'm good with wearing brown and black together but I've been a bit boggled at the popularity of black pants with tall brown boots -- almost always, when I see these outfits, I think: Huh, I would wear black boots instead.  But what the hell, you know?  I have a new pair of tall cognac boots I've been wanting to wear.

Two Scarf Challenge: My first stab at this involved pairing two lightweight scarves (black/white cat scarf and black/polka dot scarf) together, but I found the result distinctly meh.  Then I had the idea to combine the polka dot scarf as an accent to a plain black scarf of a normal winter weight and voila!  I used the mint green dots on the scarf to rationalize wearing my new olive green cable knit cotton sweater.

*Olive pullover sweater (Kohls)
Black ankle pants (thrifted, Eileen Fisher)
*Cognac riding boots by Sam Edelman
Black scarf + black polka dot scarf (Target x2)

Verdict:

#1: This is a doable combination with tops that are moderately long or are layered under/over a longer top.  Putting this together proved harder than I initially thought because I had forgotten that the pants are rather loose in the waist and low rise, so there is a tendency for a normal length top to ride up and show my belly circa 2004 (or whenever that was popular).  But this is precisely the situation in which my too-long black T from Target shows its worth.  The black blends into the pants and averts the risk of belly-flashing my coworkers.

#2: The cognac boots looked OK, and I was happy to test them out, but I am a black-on-black girl at heart.  I'll probably not do this combination again.  The inclusion of the orange dots on the black scarf helped justify/rationalize the choice of (orangey) brown boots and made it look a bit intentional, not "I only have brown boots so that's what I wore even though they totally don't go with this outfit."  But I just don't love this kind of high contrast on my legs.  I could, though, more easily see wearing the brown boots with blue jeans or a skirt and tights/leggings in a different color -- blue, burgundy, olive green...but probably not grey or black.

#3:  Muahahahaha, I pwned the 2 scarf challenge here.

Also: Damn, this is a comfy sweater.  I'm glad I also bought a purple one.

True to my "lagging indicator" status, now that I have hesitantly tipped my toe into the skinny-ish pants water, it's time for the skinny silhouette to be replaced at the dominant style.  (Actually, in jeans, boyfriend jeans -- which naturally I do not own -- probably have already eclipsed skinnies.)  Welcome back, wide legs and boot cuts!