Thanks to our upcoming garage sale I'm now the proud owner of a deck of Karma Cards. I've always wanted a deck of Tarot cards. I've heard some writers use them for character developing and whatever. Maybe the Karma cards could be used for a similar purpose. I haven't had a chance to read the book. I also have a set of Rune stones with instruction book. Unfortunately, I'm missing one. Maybe we'll eventually find it somewhere.
All week, we have been preparing for our big garage sale on Friday and Saturday. Mos tof the junk we're getting rid of belonged to my step-grandparents. I know my step-dad is looking forward to it. He'll finally have room in his shop to do whatever. Though there were a few gems among it all. I bet you don't know what this is:
Guess what.....Guess what.....Guess what??? I actually wrote today. After a twenty-three day hiatus, I put pen to paper and wrote something today. I probably should have done it sooner. Really doesn't matter now. I'm getting back in to the routine. That's all that counts.
In its 50,000 year history, Wookey Hole Caves has seen it share of inhabitants such as the Neanderthal man and Romans. At a constant temperature of 11 °C or 52 °F, the caves are a prime location for maturing Cheddar cheese. In 1935, Chamber 7 was the location of the first successful cave diving expedition in Britain performed by Graham Balcombe, Penelope Powell, and their cave diving group. However, Wookey Hole Caves is most known for a certain witch.
Stories surrounding this legend vary. A woman wronged by life in some way decides to take her frustration out on the females of the village. In one version, the villagers banded together and requested the services of a monk from Glastonbury. In another, the witch curses the romance of a couple. When it fails, the man becomes a monk and seeks revenge on the witch. Either way, the monk enters the cave. He blesses the water and begins splashing it among parts of the cave. Supposedly, some of the holy water was splashed on the witch, turning her to stone. She remains in the cave 'til this day.
The Witch of Wookey Hole is actually a stalagmite in the first chamber of the caves. Over the years, the rock took on a human form and thus, a legend is born. But is it really just a tale? The story was first written down in 1748 though circulated among generations for years before. In 1912, cave explorer H. B. Balch found evidence that may substantiate some of the story. He discovered a milking pot, a ball made from a stalagmite, tools and even human remains which may or may not belong to the "witch".
If that weren't enough, the caves are also said to be haunted. The ghost of a potholer who drowned is said to roam the chambers. The spirit of a child who died on the site has also been seen. Of course, the witch herself is believed to demostrate her powers on occasion. For more on Wookey Hole, check out their website, take the virtual tour and watch the live webcam.
So, the last two weeks have been one techie battle after another one. I thought my computer was infected with that stupid conflicker thing, but I'm not so sure anymore. Every scanner I've used to remove it has come up clean, safe or normal modes. I've tried Ad-Aware, Malwarebytes, Symantec, McAfee Stinger, Avast, Microsoft OneCare. Always the same results, but my defrag (Windows and AusLogics) still doesn't work. InCd is acting up as well. It has come to the option of last resort. My step-dad says he's going to exchange my computer for his which means I probably won't see mine for a while. Thank God I have everything backed up on disks.
I didn't really get much done writing wise. However, I did submit "Sealed With Anguish" to Fear and Trembling Mag. It's a piece I wrote for Long Ridge and my instructor didn't get it all. It's suppose to be satirical, but I think because it was set in a "monster reality" he thought it was suppose to be scary. I don't know. After all this mess, here's hoping for some good news.
I know I haven't posted all week. My excuse is I've been in download hell. With this whole Conflicker worm going around, I realized some of my software needed to be updated. Here's hoping next week is better...