Wiccan Whirlpool

I finally wrote a very short letter to the editor of my paper, specifically regarding the statement that I had laughed during the robbery.  That nonsense has been eating at me–and today a former coworker told me a fellow teller at another bank had asked her why on earth I had laughed at him.  While I appreciate that Mr Cavallo Sr understands my situation to some extent, I simply can’t go on letting the “world” think that I believed that the whole thing was a joke.  If it gets published I’ll throw in a link.  If it doesn’t I’ll post it here later.

all in my latest witchvox essay!

Blessings of the Immanent Divine 

I don’t know how many of you are or have ever been bank tellers or other members of the service industry who are, every day, asked to place their lives on the line for little pay and little or no respect.  I am a former bank teller.  In 2005 I experienced my first robbery.  In 2006 I went through the second, this time as the target.

James Cavallo Jr had pleaded guilty to robbing me, at the bank where I worked.  Some might argue that technically he robbed the bank, but the bank didn’t take his note, and the bank didn’t fear for its life.  The media coverage has been spectacular, if you’re a Cavallo.  First, there was the People magazine article calling his Asst Police Chief dad a “hero” for turning him in when he recognized his son in the surveillance video.  My special moment?  The back of my head is in the still they show from our cameras.  Next we have all of the coverage in out local paper, the latest article on Father’s Day, speaking of daddy’s “tough love” and how Jr has forgiven him for turning him in.  Between this article and the last, I discovered that Jr did *not* tell me he had a gun, and also that I laughed when he handed me the note.  Funny that.  As I recall, he was all coked up at the time–at least, that’s what I was told.  I’m sure that “enhances” his memory, though…Not only did his note specify that he had a gun, but while I clamped my jaw shut so tight that I later hurt for DAYS and was so angry that I actually bent the key in the lock getting his longed-for $20s, he insisted that I hurry up, and reminded me more than once that he had a gun.  I didn’t laugh.  If I had done anything except stay silent and act like a robot bad things would most surely have happened.  It must be much easier for his wife to believe I thought it was a joke, and that it never occurred to me that her waste of a husband might also rob my children of their mother, being a mother herself.  I wonder how Mr Cavallo Jr would feel if one of his drug buddies held up his wife trying to collect on money he owes?  I wonder if he would feel sorry for them, and shake his head sadly, bemoaning how drugs did it all, the way he and his family expect the rest of us to react.
By pleading guilty, Mr Cavallo Jr has “spared” me the inconvenience of appearing in court to testify.  In actuality, as both his father and lawyer know, what he has done is AGAIN robbed me, this time of speaking as the victim has the right to do, at his trial.

For fun and giggles, please feel free to read the article at The Morning Call.

So anyway, I’ve been a little busy. I’m now all over the web trying to sell my stuff. Instead of working for “the man” I am now a self-employed “artiste,” so basically I’m crafty and broke.

I cannot possibly beg you enough to go visit my store and buy my stuff:

Hecate’s

You may visit me at MySpace: Hecate’s on MySpace

And then if you like my stuff you can sign up for my newsletter on YahooGroups. I’m not a jerk, I won’t give away or sell your email address, and the only announcements are about the store and my jewelry.

My cold is trying to kill me. I feel so rotten that when the pharmacy tech gave me the box of Sudafed I didn’t bother to read it and now I see it’s non-drowsy. It does actually contain pseudophedrine, but non-drowsy formulas and sertraline are an invigorating mix for me, and I need sleep!! I haven’t slept right in weeks and it’s starting to make me crazy—er. When I can’t breath out of my nose I can hardly sleep at all. Right now, even with the Sudafed (non-drowsy) I can barely breathe out of my nose. It’s 1:30 AM, and I wanted to be in la la land four hours ago. WAH WAH WAH!!

Grumble.

Thank the gods I am my own boss and I totally understand how it feels when you can’t function and should be in bed. If I ever manage to have my own “real life” storefront I’m going to have an amazingly generous sick policy. It’s good to know that my husband’s company has such a good illness/leave policy. They have great insurance, too. Of course, they’re a world-wide, multi-billion dollar successful and privately held corporation with a 20% yearly average growth. Hmm. Whaddya know.

You look forward to the headache.
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Go there and read my essay!

http://www.witchvox.com

OR if you’re a slacker and you don’t get there this week:

http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=uspa&c=words&id=11161

Unfortunately I missed some proofing errors toward the end.  I need to start having my dh help me out with that!  A good number of the comments so far have come from military Pagans, which I find interesting.  These men and women are probably over-exposed to the topic at the moment, and I would think that a military life would draw people with a strongly defined sense of right and wrong, which seems to be the case from the comments.

One person wrote apparently to inform me of why Satanists aren’t Pagan, because obviously that was the whole point of the essay, that I didn’t know this and was desperately pleading with the public to educate me .  Oh well.

I went to the hospital to sit with R this evening.  It was my first day trip in, and it was weird to sit with somebody in a well-lit room!  Her childhood friend was sitting with her, but was due to leave so she didn’t have to drive in the dark.  They met when the friend was 2, and had remained friends for 76 years.  R has no family in the US, she told me, but I think this friend certainly qualifies as family.

She was a strong woman, that’s for sure!  Three heart attacks since Friday, and she still was determined to keep breathing.  Until yesterday her friend said she was still talking…amazing.  When I arrived I was sure she would pass while I was there, but she held on.  For all I know she’s still going, and I’m glad to know that another volunteer was there when I left.

So I said to myself,  “Self, we need to exercise today.”  I thought maybe it was finally time to crack the seal on the Pilates DVD I  bought  2 1/2 years ago so I didn’t have to drag my kids to the gym with me.  10 minutes of Pilates kicked my butt!  This is “Pilates for Dummies,” literally, and I lasted 10 minutes.  I resent that Pilates, and I consider it a challenge!!

Getting a handle back on my eating habits is proving successful, however.  We’re well into day four with no cheating.  Fat and calorie intake is WAY down, and I’m working really hard to keep from boredom snacking.  And then there’s the water–so much water!  Last time I did this I was amazed at the clarity and smoothness of my skin, and I can’t wait to have that back.  Why of why did I ever let myself get out of these habit in the first place?

So I got the new “wonder drug” in yesterday’s mail. It’s loaded with caffeine–a fact two which i had paid no attendtion. THese things usually make me so sick to my stomach and generally jittery that I can’t take them, but what the heck–there’s a money back guarantee. So I took one before breakfast. I do feel a little jittery, but my heart isn’t racing or anything stupid and my stomach is fine. It feels very effedra-like, a highly useful substance when used intelligently (thanks, morons!), and one I miss. Breakfast was a Carnatian Instant made with super-skim milk and I do not feel hungry three and a half hours later. In a bit I’ll go eat a giant salad. Giant salads are probably my ace-in-the-hole. I take a mixing bowl like you would use for a double batch of cookies, and fill it with an entire bag of salad mix. typically I split it between spinach and mixed greens, and top it with low fat dressing, fat free cheese, tiny cooked shrimp, and whatever raw veggies I happen to have in the fridge. This giant bowl is an entire day’s worth of veggies, a serving of lean protein, and enough fiber for a small horse. Eating one of these babies nearly every day keeps the intestines quite healthy…

Most times I have a small piece of whole wheat bread to finish off because it makes me feel full. I get the kind that has Omega-3s in it, and I apply a little bit of Omega-3 spread. Combined it still doesn’t have as much of the fatty acid as a good piece of salmon, but it’s cheaper and I don’t have to grill it.

Once my hellians go down for a nap I think I’ll go for another walk. Read the rest of this entry »