Inn of the Wandering Dragon

I finally wrote my exam today! Since I wrote the test at home I had to have a proctor oversee the whole thing and fortunately one of my friends was able to do that. He also figured I should get bonus marks for dealing with cat interference but I don't think my instructor will take that seriously. :) My feline friend was harrassing me throughout - the dangers of having a bored cat hanging around. Ah well. I have my thoughts on how things went, I go over points here and there in my mind wondering if I've covered everything. Hopefully I will not have to wait too long to find out my results.

Not that long ago I was having a rather interesting conversation with a friend of mine about tarot cards. My friend had gone out and purchased a beautiful deck of cards and we were musing on the history and artwork of tarot in general.
I have collected several different tarot decks over the years. While a couple decks are set aside for occasional use the rest are mainly there for the artwork. I have posted a few examples of the range of artwork in my decks from the traditional to the modern. I even have a deck of cards specifically for cats which I thought was very funny - not OF cats, but FOR cats. :) I have never read them for my furry friend but I suspect if I did he would just lay across them and take a nap.
To be perfectly honest I think that regardless of your beliefs the tarot deck is a fascinating exercise in illustrative and artistic skills. To successfully pull off a series of 78 well crafted images rich in symbolic meaning and storytelling is a very good way to stretch yourself as an artist. I guess all I need is time one day to transfer my sketchbook drawings to the canvas. Here's hoping I get the chance to do so.

I just finished a book called A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. The poem just posted features quite prominently throughout the book and several characters quote various passages. I remember reading the poem in one of my literature classes in university years ago, I also remember wholeheartedly disagreeing with the girl behind me who felt it was the most romantic poem in the whole world. I still disagree. The poem is sad, yes. But I do wonder what would the story be like if she did not know she was cursed, or for that matter if she chose to live anyway.

On either side the river lie Long fields of barley and of rye, That clothe the wold and meet the sky; And through the field the road run by To many-tower'd Camelot; And up and down the people go, Gazing where the lilies blow Round an island there below, The island of Shalott.
Willows whiten, aspens quiver, Little breezes dusk and shiver Through the wave that runs for ever By the island in the river Flowing down to Camelot. Four grey walls, and four grey towers, Overlook a space of flowers, And the silent isle imbowers The Lady of Shalott.
By the margin, willow veil'd,Slide the heavy barges trail'd By slow horses; and unhail'd The shallop flitteth silken-sail'dSkimming down to Camelot: But who hath seen her wave her hand? Or at the casement seen her stand? Or is she known in all the land, The Lady of Shalott?
Only reapers, reaping early, In among the bearded barley Hear a song that echoes cheerly From the river winding clearly; Down to tower'd Camelot; And by the moon the reaper weary, Piling sheaves in uplands airy, Listening, whispers, " 'Tis the fairy The Lady of Shalott."
There she weaves by night and day A magic web with colours gay. She has heard a whisper say, A curse is on her if she stay To look down to Camelot. She knows not what the curse may be, And so she weaveth steadily, And little other care hath she, The Lady of Shalott.
And moving through a mirror clear That hangs before her all the year, Shadows of the world appear. There she sees the highway near Winding down to Camelot; There the river eddy whirls, And there the surly village churls, And the red cloaks of market girls Pass onward from Shalott.
Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, An abbot on an ambling pad, Sometimes a curly shepherd lad, Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad Goes by to tower'd Camelot; And sometimes through the mirror blue The knights come riding two and two. She hath no loyal Knight and true, The Lady of Shalott.
But in her web she still delights To weave the mirror's magic sights, For often through the silent nights A funeral, with plumes and lights And music, went to Camelot; Or when the Moon was overhead, Came two young lovers lately wed. "I am half sick of shadows," said The Lady of Shalott.
A bow-shot from her bower-eaves, He rode between the barley sheaves, The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves, And flamed upon the brazen greaves Of bold Sir Lancelot. A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd To a lady in his shield, That sparkled on the yellow field, Beside remote Shalott.
The gemmy bridle glitter'd free, Like to some branch of stars we see Hung in the golden Galaxy. The bridle bells rang merrily As he rode down to Camelot: And from his blazon'd baldric slung A mighty silver bugle hung, And as he rode his armor rung Beside remote Shalott.
All in the blue unclouded weather Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather, The helmet and the helmet-feather Burn'd like one burning flame together, As he rode down to Camelot. As often thro' the purple night, Below the starry clusters bright, Some bearded meteor, burning bright, Moves over still Shalott.
His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd; On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode; From underneath his helmet flow'd His coal-black curls as on he rode, As he rode down to Camelot. From the bank and from the river He flashed into the crystal mirror, "Tirra lirra," by the river Sang Sir Lancelot.
She left the web, she left the loom, She made three paces through the room, She saw the water-lily bloom, She saw the helmet and the plume, She look'd down to Camelot. Out flew the web and floated wide; The mirror crack'd from side to side; "The curse is come upon me," cried The Lady of Shalott.
In the stormy east-wind straining, The pale yellow woods were waning, The broad stream in his banks complaining. Heavily the low sky raining Over tower'd Camelot; Down she came and found a boat Beneath a willow left afloat, And around about the prow she wrote The Lady of Shalott.
And down the river's dim expanse Like some bold seer in a trance, Seeing all his own mischance -- With a glassy countenance Did she look to Camelot. And at the closing of the day She loosed the chain, and down she lay; The broad stream bore her far away, The Lady of Shalott.
Lying, robed in snowy white That loosely flew to left and right -- The leaves upon her falling light -- Thro' the noises of the night, She floated down to Camelot: And as the boat-head wound along The willowy hills and fields among, They heard her singing her last song, The Lady of Shalott.
Heard a carol, mournful, holy, Chanted loudly, chanted lowly, Till her blood was frozen slowly, And her eyes were darkened wholly, Turn'd to tower'd Camelot. For ere she reach'd upon the tide The first house by the water-side, Singing in her song she died, The Lady of Shalott.
Under tower and balcony, By garden-wall and gallery, A gleaming shape she floated by, Dead-pale between the houses high, Silent into Camelot. Out upon the wharfs they came, Knight and Burgher, Lord and Dame, And around the prow they read her name, The Lady of Shalott.
Who is this? And what is here? And in the lighted palace near Died the sound of royal cheer; And they crossed themselves for fear, All the Knights at Camelot; But Lancelot mused a little space He said, "She has a lovely face; God in his mercy lend her grace, The Lady of Shalott."

Ah... There is nothing quite like the joy of sitting your boss down to pay a nice big stack of bills. He usually bemoans the fact that I use up all his money and all his cheques in the process, to which I happily reply that I must be doing my job well! ;) Just think, if I'm ever married - I will have already had LOTS of practice... I couldn't resist that one.
While he bemoans the money going out I get the lovely job of stuffing envelopes and sealing them. Today it dawned on me as I was three quarters of the way through the pile that the glue on the envelopes was tasting an awful lot like those really bitter salad greens. This in no way is going to encourage me to eat those things as now I'll be reminded of a big stack of envelopes every time! Yuck!

Two things have made me very happy this weekend - one, I have finally had a chance to clean the house and two, I finished the last of my course modules.
Yesterday was the day for cleaning. And yes it makes a very good form of procrastination since I wasn't really in the mood to do CAD anyway. Besides that the lingering state of mess was driving me up the wall. With Larry out of the house I set to it and managed to dust, sweep, vacuum and tidy up pretty much every room of the house. All that was left is the mountain of dishes - which I get to do today. Plus I had a visit from Dana and the boys who really wanted to see Chalk for a bit (my cat). I did eventually work on some CAD yesterday but after having a really blonde moment that saw the simplest item look inside out and backwards I decided I should probably give it a rest.
Today while Larry is marshalling at the track I finished off my last module and wrote the competancy test in about half the alotted time. My cat figures I look really weird dancing in front of the computer, but I figure he looks pretty funny plowing face first into the couch so we're even. Now all that is left is to review & write my final exams (2D and 3D).