Nudity is Only Skin-Deep

I'm going to Costa Rica next month, and I have eleventy-jillion tabs open on my phone. I've been using them for research purposes for my novel. Not sure if you are interested in them, but you are welcome to plunder the booty of my research (which sounds awfully naughty).

I'll leave it to you to surmise what exactly my novel is about based on this material.

Goatfish: In this article, I would like to talk about goatfish, the sacred (mythical) animal of Enki/Ea, the Mesopotamian god of fresh water...Mythical animal



Enki: Enki is the Mesopotamian Primeval god of creation, intelligence, crafts, water, sea, lakes, fertility, semen, magic and mischief.

Earth's Freshwater Future: Extremes of Flood and Drought: NASA satellites are a prominent tool for accounting for water, as it constantly cycles from water vapor to rain and snow falling onto soils, and across and beneath the landscape. As Earth’s atmosphere warms due to greenhouse gases and the satellite data record continues to get longer and more detailed, scientists are studying how climate change is affecting the distribution of water.

Sea Goat: The sea goat is a legendary aquatic animal described as a creature that is half goat and half fish.

The Epic of Anzu, II.1-69 : The epic of Anzu revolves around a fierce bird-monster named Anzu. In the first tablet, he steals the Tablet of Destinies from the rulers of the gods, and none of the gods can defeat him. Our excerpt begins with a new hero entering the fray.

1 Enoch 1–36: The Book of Watchers: A Review of Recent Research: Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, there has been an increasing interest by scholars in 1 Enoch 1–36, the Book of Watchers. This is due primarily to the publication of the 4QEn fragments by J.T. Milik in 1976. Milik presents a major edition that contains the Aramaic fragments of 1 Enoch from Qumran Cave 4.

Odin/Enki - Water: Four gods, Thor, Baldr, Viðarr and Váli, are explicitly identified as sons of Odin in the Eddic poems, in the skaldic poems, in Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum, and in the Gylfaginning section of Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda. But silence on the matter does not indicate that other gods whose parentage is not mentioned in these works might not also be sons of Odin.

The Standard Babylonian Epic of Anzu

Titles of Enoch-Metatron in 2 Enoch: "Whoever is dealing with the Account of Creation and the Account of the Chariot must inevitably fail. It is therefore written, “Let this heap of ruins be under your hand” (Isa. 3.6). This refers to things that a person can not understand, unless he fails in them. "
(The Book of Bahir, 150)


The Atrahasis Epic: The Great Flood & the Meaning of Suffering: The Atrahasis is the Akkadian/Babylonian epic of the Great Flood sent by the gods to destroy human life. Only the good man, Atrahasis (his name translates as `exceedingly wise') was warned of the impending deluge by the god Enki (also known as Ea) who instructed him to build an ark to save himself. Atrahasis heeded the words of the god, loaded two of every kind of animal into the ark, and so preserved life on earth.

Similarity of Flood Account of Manu with Noah's Ark and Other Civilizations: In the year 1872, an amateur Assyriologist made a path breaking discovery... HeHis translation of the Chaldean account of the great flood ... presented before the Society of Biblical Archaeology.


Plants, Heavy Metals, and the Lingering Scars of World War I: A closer look at the hardy residents of some of our most damaged landscapes.

Enki: Mischievous god of wisdom, magic and incantations who resides in the ocean under the earth. The god Ea (whose Sumerian equivalent was Enki) is one of the three most powerful gods in the Mesopotamian pantheon, along with Anu and Enlil. He resides in the ocean underneath the earth called the abzu (Akkadian apsû), which was an important place in Mesopotamian cosmic geography. For example, the city of Babylon was said to have been built on top of the abzu.

Was Dust Their Food and Clay Their Bread? Grave Goods, the Mesopotamian Afterlife, and the Liminal Role of Inana/Ishtar: Many literary texts portray the Mesopotamian netherworld as unrelievedly bleak, yet the archaeological evidence of grave goods suggests that there may also have existed an alternative way of thinking about the afterlife. An analysis of the types of objects found in burials indicates that many people may have anticipated a less harsh form of existence.

Moses and Magic: Notes on the Books of Exodus: The scholarly world has known for some time that the book of Exodus demonstrates a first-hand knowledge of Egyptian customs and beliefs, even if somewhat tendentiously related. This is especially apparent in the account of the ten plagues, which some see as representing an attack against the Egyptian pantheon, and in the account of Moses' first appearance before Pharaoh's magicians (Exod. 7:8-12).

A Balbale to Ningishzida: Hero, lord of field and meadow, lion of the distant mountains! Ninjiczida, who brings together giant snakes and dragons! Great wild bull who, in the murderous battle, is a flood that ......! Beloved by his mother, he to whom Ninjirida gave birth from her luxurious body, who drank the good milk at her holy breast, who sucked in lion's spittle, who grew up in the abzu!

Manzat, the deified rainbow and her LGBT connection
: the final section of the article deals with a text mentioning Manzat, which is, as far as I can tell, the oldest documented association between the rainbow and LGBT themes.

Fish-Cloaked Apkallu: In order to protect the household, this protective figure (apkallu or sage) would be buried beneath the floor in groups of seven. This figurine represents a wise man dressed in a fish-cloak sent by the god Ea to impart knowledge to humans. For cultic purposes, priests wore such cloaks made from giant species of carp living in the River Tigris.

Ikhthyes: THE IKHTHYES (Ichthyes) were two large Syrian river fish who rescued Aphrodite and Eros when they were fleeing the monster Typhoeus. According to some the two gods instead disguised themselves as fish to escape the monster. The fish were also credited with assisting in the birth of Aphrodite from the sea foam. In all versions of the story they were set amongst the stars as the constellation Pisces.

Venus in Culture: Depictions in culure of the planet Venus.

The Benei Elohim, the Watchers, and the Origins of Evil: The story of divine beings procreating with human women (Genesis 6) is expanded upon in the book of Enoch to tell how these angels also bring sin to humanity, causing the ancient flood as well, and this sin is the source of disease in the present day.

Enki: Enki was a major deity in Sumerian mythology, later known as Ea in Babylonian mythology. He was originally the chief god of the city of Eridu. The exact meaning of Enki's name is uncertain. The common translation is "Lord of the Earth."

Enki and Ninmah: translation: In those days, in the days when heaven and earth were created; in those nights, in the nights when heaven and earth were created; in those years, in the years when the fates were determined; when the Anuna gods were born; when the goddesses were taken in marriage; when the goddesses were distributed in heaven and earth; when the goddesses ...... became pregnant and gave birth;

The Watchers of Satanail: The Fallen Angels Traditions in 2 (Slavonic) Enoch: The first part of 2 Enoch, a Jewish pseudepigraphon written in the first century C.E., deals with the heavenly ascent of the seventh antediluvian hero carried by his angelic psychopomps to the abode of the Deity.

Plant Viruses in Aqueous Environment

A Fall From Grace to ... Virulence?: In Bruegel’s painting of The Fall of the Rebel Angels we are witness to a tumbling maelstrom of falling rebel angels outcast from Heaven.

Wings in Mesopotamia: The Significance and Purpose: Wings are attested in Mesopotamian art, appearing
in every major category (human, bull, lion, etc.), except for the fish and the snake.

A Narrow Fellow in the Grass: by Emily Dickinson

Hebrew Mythology: In the myth of Enki and Ninhursag ... Ninhursag caused eight plants to grow in the garden of the gods. Enki desired to eat these plants...

Demiurge: In the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the demiurge is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe.

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Then there's this stuff, which isn't related to my book at all:

"We Fight with Dignity": The Miawpukek Mi'kmaq Quest for Aboriginal Rights in Newfoundland

Writing Getaways in Ontario

The A-Frame Residency

A True Story: long novella or short novel[1] written in the second century AD by the Syrian author Lucian of Samosata.[2] The novel is a satire of outlandish tales that had been reported in ancient sources, particularly those that presented fantastic or mythical events as if they were true. It is Lucian's best-known work.

The Unholy Trinity of Films That Gave Birth to Folk Horror

Canadian psychlogist accused of satanism by neighbors who can't read Greek: Reprint of the CBC article written about the witch hunt happening to my family and my neighbours

Lamb to the Slaughter: Short story by Roald Dahl

Miracle Maca Latte: Yummy recipe

Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman's Fight to End Ableism, by Elsa Sjunneson

Link to Online Writers' Workshops

Join the Critters Workshop

Easy Overnight Oats: Recipes

AI Story Generator: Generates extremely simplistic stories

On the Many Different Engines that Power a Short Story

73 Brand New Literary Magazines

How to Share Without Appropriating: Lecture with Waubgeshig Rice

Great Place to Submit Flash Fiction

Outline Your Memoir: Free online workshop offered periodically. I got a lot out of this one.

I Wrote a Novel... Now What?: A revision and editing resource guide for writers

Free Online Writing Courses: Literary Theory with Victoria Reeve

Time to clear my browser tabs! Here are a few links I've had open for too long. You may enjoy them, too.

School of Thrones: Game of Thrones meets DeGrassi....

Chocolate Cake: Grain-free recipe I want to try out.

Masterpieces of the Imaginative Mind: Literature’s Most Fantastic Works: Science fiction/fantasy literature course by a professor whose style I enjoy.

675 Free Online Courses from Top Universities: This is how I get my university education, nowadays.

Upsided-Down Pancake with Apricots and Plums: Another tasty-looking grain-free recipe.

Pope Innocent VIII: What a crazy life and death.

About twenty years ago, when I first started going to the gym, I remember needing to get help from some of the big guys whenever I needed to remove 45-lb plates from the leg press. I remember getting on an exercise bike for a ten-minute warm-up, and being absolutely exhausted and drenched with sweat, heart pounding a million or so beats per minute when I got off it, staggering for balance. I'd noodle around on the various exercise machines, and make minimal progress.

Sometimes, while I was exercising, someone would see me using a machine wrong and would show me how to use it properly. Other than that, I was ignored and left alone.

Now, about twenty years later, I carry around plenty more than 45 lbs at a time, and never need to enlist aid. I rarely use machines, opting instead for barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, or my own body weight. Instead of running on the treadmill or elliptical, I do plyometric exercises. Sometimes now, the big guys see me doing some of my exercises (like extended plank push-ups or single-leg squats) and they shake their heads and grin, saying the reason more people don't do those kinds of exercises are because they're too hard, and that they think I'm damned fit. And the women, who seem more shy, approach me in the change room and ask me for advice on how to do particular exercises.

I wonder where I'll be in the next twenty years?



It's been a while since I've done a link dump. Here you go!

Fandom wasn’t always such a negative experience for creators. I'd never heard of commonplace books, but it seems like social media like Google+, FaceBook, and MySpace are the modern counterparts of this Victorian concept. Short, and interesting article!

I Wish I Had the Balls to Risk My Life Like This Man: How long would it take you to scale a 13,025-foot mountain in the Bernese Alps? Probably a lot longer than this speed climber.

British Columbia Joins War on Wolves: Open season on wolf hunting, ostensibly because wolves are killing all the livestock. Yet "wolf-caused losses represent slightly over 0.01 percent, about half the number that die on the way to the slaughterhouse or are injured and have to be euthanized."

Sperm Donor System Under Scrutiny After Donor Fathers 150 Children: Accidental incest becomes much more possible in such situations.

( The sky was gorgeous last night, so I snapped some photos. )

I have gone for a run around the park, done some housework, tried my hand at vegan baking (peanut butter and banana cookies), and had a shower and braided my hair. I've also contemplated different ways necromancy might be worked, dreamed that I went back in time to destroy the Apostle Paul for the good of all humanity (apparently I was a fire mage, and I incinerated him with the power of my mind), and I critiqued dance technique for a student. I discovered a song that makes me want to make up another dance performance.

I still want to do more housework, practice my sumi-e, and do some writing before the day is up. And listen to more of my audio book....

It's been a while since I've done a link dump, so here you go!

Don't Kill the Oxford Comma: The Oxford comma is the only way lists make sense to me. When you read a list aloud, a breath is taken before the last part, so the comma just belongs there. Also, leaving the comma out groups those last two items together as one. Here's an example where the comma completely changes the meaning of the sentence:

My favourite collaborations are by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, Trent Reznor and Tori Amos, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and Laverne and Shirley.

vs.

My favourite collaborations are by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, Trent Reznor and Tori Amos, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, and Laverne and Shirley.

The former implies Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Laverne, and Shirley all collaborated together, which is a bit of a mind boggler, I must say.

What Most Women Do WRONG!!: An excellent read for any woman who wants to get in shape, lose weight, or "tone."

How to Talk to Little Girls: This is also applicable to little boys, of course.

This Guy is My New Hero: Apocryphal, but hilarious! Excellent zinger.

Body may have been in pool for days: I just can't fathom (heh) how this is possible. Especially with lifeguards on duty.

This video is really cool! Be sure to check it out:



Two more in the series, and the band's videos also contain elements of the story. Delicious!

Wow, it's been a while since I've done one of these, and my browser is seriously constipated with open tabs and multiple windows galore.

Ready? Steady? GO!

50 Beautiful Examples Of Tilt-Shift Photography: I really want to try this out, but I don't think my little camera can manage it.

Amazing Mona Lisa Painting Made with 3604 Cups of Coffee: Ephemeral reproduction work.

Epic Cover Letter: How To Get Hired For Your Dream Job: There is nothing epic about this letter. It is, however, pretty awesome. I'd even have hired the guy, but he ruined his chances with me by misspelling "taupe."

Fuck Yeah Historical Hotties: I think I've linked this before, but it's worth sharing again. Oppenheimer was pretty darned cute.

DO NOT CLICK ON THIS: NOT safe for work. NOT safe for lunch. I am not kidding (thanks, Bevin, for ruining my lunch and my sex life).

Parents keep child's gender secret: Interesting. The letters at the end are pretty telling. People get very upset when you don't let them know if a baby is a boy or a girl. Does it really, really matter?

Nazis tried to train dogs to talk, read and spell to win WW2: This is the weirdest WWII story I think I've read, so far. And there are some doozies out there.

Here's a painting by Brenda Clews inspired by a photo of me. You can read more about the painting here.

The Perfect Vagina: I think this is an important video to watch, because it shows just how uneducated so many people are about what vulvas look like, and shows just how incredibly emotionally damaged some people are when it comes to their twats. Parts of this documentary actually horrified me. I don't have a porn star-looking crotch, and I'm perfectly ok with that.

Canada watches its democracy erode: "Edmund Burke noted that all that was necessary for evil to triumph was for good men to do nothing. Canadians are certainly good and worthy folks, but they suffer an excess of civil obedience, politeness and lack of civic rage that could be harnessed to combat political atrophy. At a time when Arabs risk life and limb for political freedoms, Canadians seem largely apathetic about the erosion of their democracy." Why are Canadians blind to what is obvious to people from other countries?

Disturbing fairy tale black and white photos: Evocative photography which captures the macabre quality of unbowdlerized fairy tales.

Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle: "This elaborate miniature house was created by silent film star Colleen Moore in the 1930s, and was donated to the Museum of Science and Industry in 1949. It will delight you with its tiny treasures—including murals and paintings painted by Walt Disney himself; chandeliers adorned with real diamonds, emeralds and pearls; the tiniest bible ever to be written, dating back to 1840; and ancient statues more than 2,000 years old."

A flyaway success: Victorian dress made from 1,000 beetle wings restored at a cost of £50,000: I posted a link related to this dress before. This article has full-colour photographs of the restored dress. It's gorgeous. I want a beetle wing dress too, please.



Other Victorian dresses used beetle wings, too. Here's an article on the phenomenon.

You Don't Know Squat: "Your Pelvic Floor, Hip, and Knee health require regular squatting." I have been doing this exercise regimen daily. I'm experimenting to see if it helps me with the issues I've been having with my SI joint and hips lately.

How to Make Homemade Lara Bars: If I had a food processor, I'd give this a go. The recipes look simple and good.

Bangable Dudes in History: Long-dead historical hotties. And there are a few women in there, too.

INSA 10-Inch Elephant Dung Heels!: The weirdest shoes I've seen in a while, for sure. I wouldn't be surprised to see Lady Gaga sporting them sometime soon.

Beware Your Tiny Hat: A hilarious video clip on what happens if you superglue a miniature hat to your head.

6 Socially Conscious Actions That Only Look Like They Help: Educate yourself before you stick your nose in and make an even bigger mess.

Sustainability: City of Vancouver: I think what Vancouver is doing is very, very cool. I wish all cities would do this.

Stallion Semen Served Up in New Zealand as New Energy Drink: "It is the protein of the stallion. It is going to be tastefully done."

Theme & Variations: Lamma Bada: This is a beautiful piece of music. "The best-known Arabic classical music is likely an ancient Moorish song called 'Lamma Bada Yata Thanna,' a fascinating piece of music set in the samai rhythm, which is written in 10/8. Its origins can be traced back to the tenth century, and it continues to be a familiar in the Arabic world today."

Monsanto: The evil corporation in your refrigerator: This is scary shit.

Deconstructing the Complete and Utter Insanity of 'Batman: Odyssey': None of it makes any sense at all, but I can't stop looking at it and trying to make it make sense. Batman has arguments, then lies down to take a nap. A bad guy shoots a kid at point blank range, and the kid's father AND the guy who shot the kid start blaming Batman for shooting her. A guy starts fantasizing about punching Batman in his newly muscled, taut stomach. And naked Bruce Wayne eats a banana while gazing at us soulfully. MADNESS!

World's first tissue-engineered urethras hailed success: Huzzah for pee-hole science!

Zooborns: I am so cuted out that it hurts. Endangered baby animal pictures!

And now I ruin an aspect of your childhood.

This week has been filled with dance, proofreading, and working out. I've had little time for anything else, and have been hustling my arse off to have everything in order by the time I leave for Toronto tomorrow. I finished the proofreading this morning, and I will be teaching my last class of the week tonight. I had no time for my workout today, so I'll either do it tomorrow morning, or tomorrow afternoon, once I'm in Toronto. Huzzah for a transferable gym membership! That's so handy. I'll be able to do my weight training after my dance classes, if there's anything left of me.

Rasputina is playing at Lee's Palace on Saturday night. I've made a few requests on FaceBook to see if anyone wants to go with me, but no one answered. So I guess I'll be going stag again.

I went in to see the doctor today for a full physical. While he was checking my stomach for whatever it is he was palpating it for, he suddenly paused and said, "I'm not used to there being muscle on my patients." I was amused, but I suppose I should really be sad that more of his patients aren't in shape.

Over all, I think I'm in good health. I've managed to fight off every flu and cold that's been aimed my way this season. That's a first! I hope this trend continues, because when I do get sick, my stupid asthma gets all excited and hangs on to the plague for as long as it can. My asthma is an illness whore.

I had a tetanus shot, too. I was a bit trepidatious about that, because the last time I had a tetanus shot, the nurse was a sadistic barbarian, and I think she used a javelin instead of a needle. My muscle was swollen and hurting for days. But this time, I barely felt it, and my shoulder feels just fine, which is good, because I don't want it aching while doing heaps of jumping jacks tonight.

I still need to pack for my trip. I need to do laundry, so I have clean dance gear. I need to figure out what I'll be doing for meals. I need to buy transit tokens. Gah! Stupid everyday mundanities getting in the way of dance! Wanna be my personal assistant/manager? I'll pay in dance/fitness training.

Link time? Ok.

Carnivorous Clock Takes a Bite Out of Bugs While Telling Time: This is just weird.

Bag Your Jacket Lining: A tutorial on how to line a jacket. I'm hoping I can figure this out for my coat (thanks, chernobylred).

20 Cool Home Library Design Ideas: Now this is my kind of porn! SEXY!

Dancers Among Us - Gallery | Jordan Matter Photography: Truly gorgeous photos of dancers doing their thing in otherwise everyday scenarios.

Man has knife removed from brain after four years: "A man in China complaining of headaches and strange taste in his mouth was found to have a 4-inch knife buried in his brain."

Regrowing hair: Researchers may have accidentally discovered a solution: Better than hair plugs!

And here's what I looked like this morning while I was waiting for the dye to set on the tips of my hair.

When I got home from Toronto today, I knit myself a cowl scarf:



I had wanted to work on weaving, but I'm too tired to try anything too new and exciting today. So I used a knit stitch I'm already familiar with on my hat loom and did something different with it. I used two kinds of yarn: a variegated green/gold wool, and an emerald green wool/rayon blend. I'm quite pleased with the result.

Links? Ok.

Drug Catapult Found at U.S.-Mexico Border: The war on drugs gets medieval.

Keep Canadian Media Honest - Don't Let The CRTC Deregulate Truth in Journalism: "The proposed wording introduces a dangerous precedent wherein media may find grounds to report news that is false or misleading so long as the news in question does not directly endanger the lives, health or safety or the public." Please sign the petition against this.

Better in than out: African country set to make breaking wind a crime: Could feeding someone baked beans be considered entrapment?

Polar bear's epic nine day swim in search of sea ice: Although I object to the term "epic" used for a long swim, it doesn't make this story any less poignant or impressive.

I've been busy.

I went to London last week to help out while my sister had her baby in the wee hours of Thursday morning. I am now the aunt of Alexandria Raine. She's fat and healthy, and here she is having her first bath:



On Friday, after an eleventh-hour arrival by knightky, we zoomed off to Cliterature arriving at the tail end of the first act. My reading of Daisy Chain went over very well, I'd say, with most of the audience laughing hysterically, and a few others being grossed right the hell out at my colourful descriptions of man sex.

I'm good at grossing people out. I almost made Kyle puke this morning, just with a few choice sentences. I didn't know that was possible. He has an iron constitution!

I read a pile of poems out loud, and we watched very diverse shows this weekend:

• 2012 Supernova
  
• Varsity Blues
  
• Walking Dead
  
• The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

I'm looking forward to more.

While I wait for the laundry to finish up, I'm contemplating what to do next. I've been thinking about stopping the progression of the story I'm working on to go back and write the beginning. A lot of crucial information is missing, such as history and character development. As it stands, the reader is plunged into the middle of a developed world in medias res. While I like that technique, there are just far too many missing factors that really need to be fleshed out. Time to work on them, I think.

Then again, I kind of want to do something nonproductive, like play a video game. I haven't done that in a long time. Maybe it's time to dust off my Katamari game.

Apropos to nothing, coriander smells amazing.

I may not have any performances lined up, at the moment, but I do have a lot of dance ahead of me. This week, I'm attending On the Move in Toronto. Next week, I'm taking a Caribbean belly dance fusion class with Cassandra Fox. After that, I have another workshop with Dave St. Pierre (contains nudity), will be checking out the Can-Asian Dance Festival, and will be training with Ziya Azazi, Jocelyne Montpetit, and Denise Fujiwara. I'm really looking forward to it.

Link dump? Sure.

Ancient Transylvanians Rich in Gold, Treasure Shows: Most of the gold jewellery found weighs over two pounds a piece.

Sevants in Heaven, Kings in Hell: A good collection of statuary, most of it funerary art.

Octopus Table: Oh wow. This needs to be my dining room table.

15 Incredibly Beautiful Birds: Gorgeous.