Pilot's Log

Sagittarius Horoscope for week of August 8, 2013

You have both a poetic and a cosmic license to stretch yourself further. It's best not to go too far, of course. You should stop yourself before you obliterate all boundaries and break all taboos and smash all precedents. But you've certainly got the blessings of fate if you seek to disregard some boundaries and shatter some taboos and outgrow some precedents. While you're at it, you might also want to shed a few pinched expectations and escape an irrelevant limitation or two. It's time to get as big and brave and brazen as you dare.

I'll leave the playing of saxophones to others. I don't think Scotch Whisky is for me either at this point. Do I have a name when I lose?

Sagittarius Horoscope for week of March 21, 2013

On the one hand, menopausal women are no longer able to bear children. On the other hand, they often overflow with fresh possibilities and creative ideas. More time is available to them because their children have moved out of the house or don't require as much care. They can begin new careers, focus on their own development, and devote more attention to their personal needs. So in one way their fertility dries up; in another way it may awaken and expand. I suspect that whether or not you are menopausal, you are on the cusp of a comparable shift in your fecundity: one door closing, another door swinging open.

I certainly hope another door is swinging open. I had a dream overnight in which I needed something from my room...and new managers had taken over the building in which I lived and gave me a rough time about letting me into my room or letting me at my own belongings. The people you think are in charge of your life pretty soon won't be--and the next regime won't fall over itself to help you.

Sagittarius Horoscope for week of August 9, 2012

One out of every four of us is afraid that we have missed our calling -- that we have misread our soul's code and failed to identify the labor of love that would provide our ultimate fuel for living. If you're among this deprived group, I have good news: The next six weeks will be an excellent time to fix the problem -- to leave the niche where you don't belong and go off to create a new power spot. And if you are among the 75 percent of us who are confident you've found your vocation, the next six weeks will be prime time to boost your efforts to a higher level.

You know my song, "I Wanted Wings/till I got the darned things"...

I feel like I'm in unknown territory, although things should be stable and reliable. The landscapes of my dreams are unfamiliar and make little sense to me.

Once upon a time my Mom said, remarking about my difficulties finding work, that I would probably have to invent a completely new vocation and be its first professional. I wonder how true that is...

Sagittarius Horoscope for week of May 31, 2012

If you go to a psychotherapist, she may coax you to tell stories about what went wrong in your childhood. Seek a chiropractor's opinion and he might inform you that most of your problems have to do with your spine. Consult a psychic and chances are she will tell you that you messed up in your past lives and need a karmic cleansing. And if you ask me about what you most need to know, I might slip you some advice about how to access your untapped reserves of beauty and intelligence. Here's the moral of the story, Sagittarius: Be discerning as you ask for feedback and mirroring. The information you receive will always be skewed.

I've always defined the Uncertainty Principle (rightly or wrongly) as "When the act of asking a question destroys the likelihood of getting a truthful answer to said question." I suppose you can add the corollary "Be aware of any ulterior motives that bring about quick answers."

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Revealing it causes it to lose its power.

The Dull Thud of Autumn came; dreary, misty, overcast skies and a turn to chilly air.

Our Mail carrier's SUV had a flat tire when she came to our driveway, so she spent a couple hours in our hospitality while Dad removed the flat tire and I helped him retrieve and mount the spare on the hub. The Mail carrier told us that she had two flats this week, and was thinking that maybe Fate was trying to tell her to find something else to do. She's been a good Mail carrier, and we'll miss her if she decides to retire, but I wouldn't blame her if she does.

Attempted to take Mum to the store this afternoon and we didn't get far in Moonshine--it was quickly evident that the rear passenger side tire was going flat. So back at Rather Manor we try to reinflate the tire and Dad notices a nailhead in the tread.

So Mum and I take Dad's Buick to the store, and when we get back Dad's in his pickup going past us into town--and Moonshine is up on a jack.

After a while he returns. "I missed the fellows at the tire garage by five minutes. This will have to wait for Tuesday."

Now, I'm willing to think this is just lousy luck. But at the same time...

Last week our neighbor across the street was away from his place and Dad sees a couple men there. So he went over there and asked them what they were doing. They were looking for a car the man there owned. Dad knew that the neighbor had lent it to a friend, so Dad sent them in that direction.

Turned out they were repo men from the bank; the neighbor had quit payments on the car, and so his passing it to a friend was legally theft and the friend's having it was possessing stolen property. So the repo men taking the car were saving both the neighbor and his friend from going to jail.

The neighbor didn't see it that way, of course. He was very angry about it and cussed both Dad and Mum when he found out. We aren't on speaking terms, and I wonder if my car is out of action due to sabotage rather than a mere piece of bad luck.

Makes no difference to me, of course. If it was bad luck, I'll just move on and forget it. If it was the neighbor trying to get back at us, I'm going to ignore it and not sink to his level.

But if it happens again, I know who to call. I believe in justice, not vengeance.

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A house for myself and/or my brother D.Wm.