tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91440466291146333062024-03-13T20:26:36.064-07:00Gwen's Worldskiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-633739823946587562023-08-01T17:28:00.001-07:002023-08-05T11:21:15.421-07:00Yup, Still Alive<p> You'd be surprised how much time pursuing a Bachelor's degree in nursing can take. Paired with holding down a job and dealing with a young one with health issues, it really does just make the pages of the calendar fly by. I was certainly surprised when I wandered over to my poor, neglected blog to find that over two years have passed since my last post. Whew! Well, I'm still alive.</p><p>So what have I been up to in these intervening years (apart from the afore mentioned adulting)?</p><p>Well reading and writing, actually. With a little crafting thrown in for some spice.</p><p>I'm (finally) starting to query agents for the Tree Mage story. It's exciting and scary at the same time. </p><p>I finished the Vampire Story a while back. Originally I thought it'd just be a guilty pleasure piece that I'd eventually post for free on-line. The Hubs thought it was original enough, though to try to get it published, so I'll be trying to query that one once I get a good flow going for the Tree Mage tale.</p><p>Very recently I wrote a Dresden Files fanfic, which was a big departure from my usual work. I've written a <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/kiuslady/art/To-Touch-the-Stars-Chapter-1-153033033">fanfic</a> before, but the main characters were all original. This one literally just plunks me down in the Dreseden-verse and lets things fly. It was a bit of a therapeutic piece. Again, another one that I felt would never see the light of day, but now I'm thinking to maybe throw it up on FanFiction.net. It was so much fun to write and I hammered out around 33,650 words in a little over a month (which for me is pretty impressive!)<br /></p><p>I've also starting picking away at <i>another</i> draft of "The Kai'us Planet" (as always). I'm trying to get out of my rut by "flipping the script" (changing where and when things happen, and who responses to what situations at certain times). It seems to be working, but there's a <i>lot</i> of story to go. </p><p>And of course there's those little cultural details that pop up and side-track me. Earlier this year I spent several days developing the housing and village construction for three of the Kai'us races. Just a few days ago I realized that beings who are pyrokinetic and are surrounded by sand would be pretty epic glass-smiths, so now I'll be incorporating intricate glassware into the story. Also earlier this year I revamped the Kai'us alphabet (again!). I really like it this time and, like the latest <a href="https://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-kaius-numbering-system.html">number system</a>, it's something I'd actually be able to remember.</p><p>Still along the Kai'us vein, I've started making a "census hoop" which is what the village chiefs would use to keep track of who marries who in their village. To keep things specific, I'm making the hoop for the first Grand Chief's village, since I know who would be in that village. I've only gotten the first two rings done however, (encompassing 16 families). There'll be four rings total, covering 48 families and several generations. After that, the hoop becomes more a of "net"; and it's really <i>that</i> stage that I'm more interested in. It's a project that requires a fair amount of time, space and concentration though; so I don't get an opportunity to work on it too often.</p><p>My Regency-era outfit is still right where it was when I last wrote about it. I've also started an 1840's mourning gown for my niece. I've gotten the shift and two petticoats done. Still need to finish the corset and then move onto the actual gown. (We'll get there!) </p><p>I've just started to feel well enough in recent months to give martial arts a try again. Have only gone to one class so far and I hurt for <i>days </i>after, but it was so much fun. Can't wait to go back!</p>kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-80638592458448092021-03-17T11:23:00.001-07:002021-03-17T11:23:55.285-07:00Curing (What I Thought was) IBS: Part 3<p>If you're coming to this post in the middle, go <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/curing-what-i-thought-was-ibs-part-1.html">here </a>for Part 1 or <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/curing-what-i-thought-was-ibs-part-2.html">here </a>for Part 2. </p><p><b><u>The (Final) Solution</u></b></p><p>My goal for the next few "IBS" attacks was to pay close attention to the sensations in my body during an attack to divine just what was going on and when. This wasn't terribly difficult as I'd been practicing mindfulness and meditation for years, I'd just never applied it in this particular way before. </p><p>I did quickly ascertain that anxiety was indeed a pretty big element, but the techniques I used to deal with it only lessened the symptoms, it didn't dissolve them completely. Apart from simple breathing exercises and assuring myself that I was safe, I also adopted a concept called "embracing the suck". This basically means instead of resisting the present situation, one simple acknowledges that it's pretty darned unpleasant and just accepting it. It doesn't mean rolling over and dying - anything you can do to improve the situation, by all means do it; but do it with an attitude of "it is what it is". It means being okay if you throw up or have to dash off to the bathroom for a possibly painful evacuation of the bowels; just don't <i>fear </i>those potentials. Accept that they <i>may </i>happen and plan accordingly. </p><p>At this juncture I vaguely recalled that I had tried to deal with the anxiety aspect of these attacks in the past as well; obviously it hadn't really worked then either (maybe that's why I had stopped calling it "Travel Anxiety"). There was clearly something else going on here, so what was it?<br /><br />The answer was tension. My guts were tightening up in knots; and it just so happened that I had stumbled on a way to deal with it just a few years earlier. I felt like a pretty dense idiot that it had never occurred to me to use the technique here!</p><p>But let me backtrack a moment as this realization came in two, very different parts. The first was a statement made by my Karate instructor a while back in regards to self-defense techniques. His comment was that the population is split fairly evenly into two groups: one group tenses up when they feel pain and the other relaxes/collapses. Unfortunately there's no way to know who's in what group while they have a hand around your throat, so the first part of any self-defense technique that inflicts pain on your attacker is to first protect anything on yourself that's delicate (like your throat).</p><p>The second half of my "aha moment" was a simple relaxation technique that I'd been playing with for the previous five or so years. When I first started messing with it, I thought I'd stumbled on something new, amazing and different. I later realized that it's something every yoga instructor worth their salt teaches (have I mentioned I can be a bit dense sometimes?)<br /><br />The "new" technique built off of exercises I'd been doing for close to fifteen years: While sitting or laying in a relaxed position, be mindful of any muscle tension anywhere in the body. It's best to focus on small sections at a time, so it's generally recommended to start either with your toes and work upward or your head and go downwards. It really doesn't matter though; you can start with your belly button if you want to; just find the tension in your body and consciously relax it. Do it again and again because it's very likely that once you've made it through the whole body, something near the beginning has tensed up again. It can feel like an exercise in futility until you've been doing it awhile. And I'd been doing it for quite a long while.</p><p>Nursing school opened up another aspect of this time-honored technique for me. There's lots of muscles in the body and thanks to anatomy and physiology class, I was learning them all. I could now imagine all the different muscle groups with all their varied layers. I'd start with the big, outer muscles and work my way "inward" to the deeper muscles. There were also different levels of tension to be found. So after going through and relaxing the "gross" tension, I'd go through and relax finer and finer levels of tension. (Who knew so much "hidden" tension could hide in one's feet?)</p><p>Now here's the thing (also thanks to nursing school), there's three types of muscles in the body: there's skeletal muscles - these are the ones we use to move about and create facial expressions. We have conscious control over skeletal muscles (for the most part); and these are the ones we typically focus on when doing these types of relaxation techniques. But there's two other types: smooth muscle - which lines the digestive system, lungs and some blood vessels; and cardiac muscles (that surprise, surprise make up your heart and do their own thing). Though these two other types of muscles are not subject to our conscious whim, they <i>do </i>response to our emotional state, and so with some clever mind games you actually <i>can </i>consciously control them to a certain degree. And this is the technique I had stumbled upon.</p><p>In fact I'd already been using this technique to stop menstrual cramps for a while already. It's pretty easy really: menstrual cramps are typically caused by the uterus tightening up as it expels all that nice, bloody lining it no longer needs. You can just as easily "tell" it to not tighten up so hard. Just imagine the sensation of a tightened fist and then relaxing that fist. You can apply that sensation to a grumpy uterus too. Works like a charm, but you have to be awake to do it (so night-time cramps unfortunately need a Tylenol to be gone away with, sadly). Also, the cramps can come back pretty quickly as soon as you lose focus, so some persistent crampies need near-constant attention; but it is doable.</p><p>Now lets go back to those two types of people: the "tensers" and the "relaxers". Image if you will two people who just ate a big meal. One leans back in their chair, unbuttons their pants and with a big sigh says, "Aaah, I ate too much!" The other person clutches their belly, arching forward and moans, "Oooh, I ate too much!" I'm sure you can imagine who's the tenser and who's the relaxer. The tenser likely feels nauseous because he's tensing up; there's nowhere for the food to go. Our relaxer might have some heartburn from an over-stuffed tummy, but otherwise he just feels really full. Tension inhibits the digestive process. Makes sense.</p><p>It was not difficult at all to marry these two concepts together and I have no idea why it didn't occur to me sooner (did I mention I can be a bit daft at times?) I now had a pretty solid hypothesis that tension was the source of my woes and that conscious relaxation was the solution. On my next IBS attack I was mindful of any tension in my gut and I consciously relaxed it while making sure my anxiety didn't get out of hand, and you know what? It worked like a charm. I could literally relax away my "IBS" symptoms. Stop it right in its tracks. That was it?</p><p>Apparently it was. After only a handful of attacks handled in this way, it really no longer became a problem. No matter what I ate at whatever time, I could deftly stop it before it started. Oddly enough I did end up having a "symptom-less IBS attack" a few months back. I don't remember the exact situation, but I do remember the sensations. IBS (or whatever the heck was plaguing me) has a unique sensation in the body, even sans the tension. I can't even explain it; it's just "IBS-y". So I felt "IBS-y" with a tender belly, but with the anxiety and tension removed, it never escalated. I remember clearly the thrill of being able to go to bed that night and lay down comfortably with the light off. No shakes, no ragged breathing. No chills, sweats or drooling. It was incredible! I was free.</p><p>Here's the thing though: Because I've been meditating for nearly half my life, I have no idea if this technique is one of those things where once you understand the concept, you're good to go; or if it's like learning to swim or ride a bike where you can "understand" it all you want, but you won't be able to do it until you find your own way. Try it and see.</p><p>I think this technique would work for any tension-based ailment, not just digestive issues. I feel there's many medical problems that have tension as a root cause, even if it's not initially obvious (like high blood pressure or inflammation issues that aren't allergy-related, etc); but of course I have no way of proving/testing that as yet.</p><p><b><u>Resolution</u></b><br />So what changes have I noticed since finding my cure? Well, I'm happy to report that I gained ten pounds in the span of just a few months. Believe me, in my case this is a good thing. I had always considered myself underweight and always had a hard time putting on and keeping pounds no matter what I tried. Now that I can relax my gut and let all those nice nutrients in, I've achieved a weight that's perfect for me. Your results may vary.</p><p>Travel has become far less an exercise in strategic planning around meal times, sleeping accommodations and locations of toilets. It truly doesn't matter now. It's a level of freedom I had never before thought possible.</p><p>Note that meds never came into play here. Though I'd been to a fair amount of therapy (which I highly recommend by the way), as mentioned at the beginning of all this, I was never diagnosed with anxiety. I'm not in the least advocating to handle anxiety issues (or any other mental health issues) without meds. I had never realized just how debilitating my anxiety was until I started writing up this whole series. </p><p><b><u>"It's all in your head"</u></b><br />I used to hate that phrase, and I've heard it a lot in life. It implies, "you're making it up," "it isn't real," "you're just looking for attention". It was so demoralizing because my symptoms were absolutely real and problematic; but because there was no detectable medical cause, it was "obviously fake".<br /><br />Part of my healing involved "flipping the script": if it's "all in your head" then the power to getting better was completely within my control. No external source was going to fix this. No tests, prescriptions, weird treatments, special diets or rituals. It was all on me. </p><p>Claiming this inner power can be difficult for some, especially if you have a passive temperament (like me in my younger years) and just expect the answer to be in doctors, medicine or some external source. As odd as it sounds, another hurdle can be that some people <i>identify </i>with their illness/condition, it's a part of who they are. If it goes away, they'll lose a piece of themselves and that can be scary. This of course is usually unconscious, and requires a good long, honest look within. It is possible that whatever the problem is is serving some purpose in your life. Certainly there's nothing wrong with that, but know that if the problem is "yours" (not caused by an external problem), the solution is yours too.</p><p>And so that's my story. I hope it helps, or at the very least provided some interesting reading.</p><p>Speaking of reading, here's a short-ish list of books that have been helpful for me and may be for you also (if you haven't read them already):</p><p>"The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself", by Michael Alan Singer (2007)<br />I'm a late-comer to this book, but it's a wonderful read and very insightful. It does touch on tension and its role in the body.</p><p>"The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment", by Eckhart Tolle (1997)<br />This is a great book, and really lays out the concept of how to "embrace the suck".</p><p>"Energy Anatomy: The Science of Personal Power, Spirituality, and Health", by Caroline Myss (1996)<br />I can't recommend this and her other books and audio offerings enough. Myss presents her information in a no-nonsense way that invites the reader to take a good long, honest look at their own thought patterns and habits.</p><p>"Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma", by Peter A. Levine (1997)<br />This one actually deals with healing trauma, but it does hint at tension being the source of many other problems. It also mentions that trauma can be "trapped" in the body in the form of tension and that releasing that tension may bring up buried, traumatic memories. It's something to keep in mind if consciously releasing tension is new to you. </p><p>"Autobiography of a Yogi", by Paramahansa Yogananda (1946)<br />Okay, I'm recommending this one more because it's just an awesome book (I've read it through twice); but I was reading the part about him gaining weight right when I started putting weight on, so there's that.</p>kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-9448463344735420462021-03-17T11:20:00.001-07:002021-03-17T11:26:26.304-07:00Curing (What I Thought was) IBS: Part 2<p>If you're coming to this post in the middle, go <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/curing-what-i-thought-was-ibs-part-1.html">here </a>for Part 1.</p><p><b><u>(Failed) Attempt at a Solution</u></b></p><p>I saw no point in seeking out a medical doctor. I might have mentioned my problems in the past to one doctor or another and just gotten shrugs. Certainly the trip to the ER in my senior year had stuck with me when they found "nothing wrong with me". Since I now believed that this was a food issue, I went to a nutritionist. The person I chose though practiced some form a quackery that relied heavily on herbal supplements that could only be procured through his office (of course); but I was desperate by that point and did whatever he prescribed. His treatment plan (which included numerous capsules taken multiple times of day to bolster my immune, digestive and nervous systems) included giving up all sugar and wheat-based products. Meats, fruits and veggies were fine and (despite the fact that I knew even by then that I was lactose intolerant and told him as much) he insisted that dairy products could stay.</p><p>So I cut pasta from my life and switched to spelt flour and sprouted breads. I made other dietary changes and took the prescribed pills that even then I felt were next to useless, but if there was even a chance that they'd make me better, I'd take them. And you know what? It actually helped! Over the course of a year my symptoms improved greatly and I could again eat without getting sick so frequently. Travel still caused problems, but it wasn't as bad, especially if I was mindful of what I ate, and at what time of day.</p><p>After a year of faithfully following the plan he had laid out, I slowly distanced myself from the nutritionist's practice, which wasn't easy since I was still very passive and had issues with offending others. The practitioner and his staff were not at all supportive of my leaving, and laid on the guilt pretty heavy when I started buying fewer pills and coming less frequently. "It must be nice being healthy," one secretary said in a snit when I confessed I was feeling better and so didn't need all these pills (lol wut?!). I finally had to cut ties completely in a fit of anger at their snide comments and manipulation (I was young and naïve, be kind). I should note that I have no issue with herbal supplements or vitamins, they have their place and serve their purpose, I just felt in this particular instance they weren't all they were cracked up to be.<br /><br />Considering myself to be as better as I was going to get, I slowly started reintroducing previously forbidden foods. I'd reached a point where I could eat pretty much anything, to a point. Had to go easy on the dairy products, no matter what, but the richer and creamier it was, the more likely it was to cause problems. I was also bound by the sun when it came to my digestive system: I couldn't eat pretty much anything past 7:30, 8:00 at night (except maybe toast with a little butter) lest I be up late feeling miserable. Dinners and meals while traveling and at friend's houses needed to be handled with care. Strenuous exercise was also problematic (see previous posts about Karate rank tests). But this was my life now and I just accepted it.</p><p>It was my late 20's, early 30's that I dropped the "Travel Anxiety" label, somehow forgetting that anxiety had anything to do with my issues, and redubbed my affliction "IBS", as by now I had it firmly in my head that my problem was strictly food-related. Again, no doctor was involved in this decision as there continued to be "nothing wrong with me" medically. And I will admit, by this point I could link each and every instance of illness to something I had eaten earlier in the day as the trigger; but then we can make anything make sense under the right conditions. </p><p>Gradually, as the years wore on, my condition slowly worsened again. Then two things happened that gave me a new outlook on my tummy troubles and clued me in as to how I might be able to fix it. The first thing was about seven-ish years ago when I starting to get dry heaves as part of my attacks. It wasn't with every attack, but it was new, most unpleasant and slowly increasing in frequency with no apparent rhyme or reason. A bulb started to go off: if food was the cause of my problems, then shouldn't I be bringing something up with these dry heaves? Hmmmm.</p><p>Event number two was Thanksgiving of 2017 or 2018. I'd gone to my brother and sister-in-law's with my mother for dinner. They had chosen a late dinner time, which I knew was an almost guarantee for disaster, but I ate lightly and hoped for the best. Alas, the inevitable sour stomach started to rear it's ugly head and I parked myself on the floor off to the side in the living room after dinner (there were other people in the chairs and on the couch); and I tried to distract myself by playing with their young son on the floor (my spot was also closer to the bathroom; work smarter, not harder). Despite my best efforts, I was feeling steadily worse and I asked my mother if we could head out.</p><p>Mom was having none of it, she was socializing with her daughter-in-law in the kitchen and helping with dishes. I'd have to wait. Which I did, but I wasn't terribly happy about it. I returned to my spot on the floor and attempted to chat with the other guests, but I <i>really </i>wanted to go home! After another half hour or so, I had to give an ultimatum: I'd either go outside and pace in the driveway (fresh air and walking tend to be helpful) or we head out <i>now</i>. My frustrated mother decided it'd be far less embarrassing if we just went home (she could also see by this point that I was not holding it together very well). </p><p>Of course on the drive home she wanted to wax poetic about the meal while I begged her not to. Just the thought of food made me want to hurl. This only raised her ire further; what else was there to talk about after a lovely Thanksgiving dinner? Once we got home, I propped myself up against a stack of pillows on the couch (I lacked the ambition to open the hide-a-bed, plus there'd be no point as I'd be unable to lay down comfortably) and attempted to settle in to endure the next couple hours of suffering I knew I had ahead of me.</p><p>Mom just stood over me annoyed, and said the words that turned my life around. "This isn't IBS, this is a panic attack."</p><p>Not terribly helpful at the time, but it did strike a cord. Since I'd already started suspecting food wasn't truly the source of my troubles, it got me wondering just what could this be then?</p><p>Find out what the final resolution was <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/curing-what-i-thought-was-ibs-part-3.html">here</a>.</p>kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-29486234641686976852021-03-17T11:17:00.003-07:002021-03-17T11:25:10.992-07:00Curing (What I Thought was) IBS: Part 1 <p>I had to split this up into three pieces just because it ended up being so long. There'll be links to take you to the other parts at the end of this post.</p><p>Disclaimer: this post is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical conditions. Though a Registered Nurse, I am not a doctor and cannot diagnose. This post is merely anecdotal with the intent that my personal experiences may resonate with others who experience similar symptoms. Also note that I've never been formally diagnosed with IBS, panic attacks or even anxiety. </p><p>I should also preface here that this post isn't going to portray my parents in a positive light. Know that there were plenty of aspects in mine and my brothers' lives in which our parents were perfectly involved with and supportive of; this was not one of them and I don't in the least hold that against them. My condition (because it had no apparent physical/medical origin) was only a source of annoyance for all involved because it couldn't be "fixed" via "regular" means. It meant that I was left to my own devices to deal with it.<br /></p><p><u><b>The Problem</b></u><br />So to start: IBS is short for "Irritable Bowel Syndrome". The <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20360016" target="_blank">Mayo Clinic</a> defines it as: "a common disorder that affects the large intestine. Signs and symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation, or both." Its root causes aren't wholly known, making treatment difficult. </p><p>You can read more about panic attacks <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/panic-attacks/symptoms-causes/syc-20376021" target="_blank">here </a>if you're interested, but I'm running on the assumption that most people know what they are. Here's also some <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-panic-disorder-2584207" target="_blank">interesting </a><a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/ibs-and-panic-attacks-1945225" target="_blank">information </a>from VeryWellMind.com about the connection between the two conditions.<br /></p><p>So, if I've never been diagnoses with either IBS or panic attacks, why do I think I have one, the other or both? Well, I <i>can </i>say that I've always had a "nervous stomach" going back for as far as I could remember. I never dealt with new or stressful situations well and that nervousness/anxiety almost always manifested as an upset stomach. I rarely threw up during these episodes, but it was most definitely uncomfortable. I wanted nothing more than to huddle in a quiet place, clutching my stomach. My parents suffered my nervous fits with nary a comment. It was simply an inconvenience when I'd beg to go home from school as a small child for an upset stomach that never amounted to anything; and half the time my requests to go home were denied. These nervous attacks only got worse as I got older.</p><p>A couple notable events that particularly stand out from my youth: One time in late elementary school, a spring storm blew in from the west. The approaching leading edge of the storm cloud was pitch black. I've never seen a cloud so thoroughly dark before or since. This instantly threw me into a panic even though I intellectually knew it was "just a thunderstorm". Still, thunderstorms can harbor tornadoes and that threat was a recurring source of worry in my younger years despite my parents always assuring us kids that we had a plan to go to the basement in the event of such an emergency. (A tornado has never touched down anywhere near my parents' house by the way, though I've seen scars from past ones near where friends of the family lived.)</p><p>With this fear, I hid up in my room, in bed; trembling, breathing heavy and trying my best to deal with awful nausea as I listened to the storm approach and break overhead. Wind and rain pelted our drafty farm house for hardly more than fifteen minutes; and then it passed with no harm done. The power didn't even go out.<br /></p><p>Another time, likely in middle school, I was staying overnight at a friend's house (a friend I'd stayed with many times before and after with no problems) and out of the blue I had a sudden sense that something terrible was going to happen; perhaps the furnace would explode or the house was going to blow up for no good reason. Either way, I couldn't shake this awful sense of dread and laid in bed for well over an hour (maybe two), trembling and fighting back waves of nausea while my heart pounded in my ears. At last I couldn't take it anymore and I asked her parents if they could take me home (her parents seemed to never sleep and they were still awake when I wandered into the kitchen to make my plaintive plea). Just an fyi: the house never did blow up and still stands to this day. </p><p>The worst was when I was a senior in high school, I had taken on a babysitting gig for a couple I hadn't met before, but whom were family of a classmate of mine. I had put out an ad in the local paper hoping to raise extra funds for college. I felt nervous and queasy the whole day of school leading up to my first time babysitting for perfect strangers . I'd met with the parents just a few days prior so they could get to know me before leaving their infant daughter and preschool-aged son in my care. I had seemed dependable enough and I tried my best to put on a brave front when showing up that evening to watch their kids. I was given thoroughly detailed instructions on what to do in various situations and then the parents headed out for a childless evening. I loved kids (still do) and my original plan had been to play with the boy and watch TV with him until bedtime while keeping a loose eye on the baby, who I'd been assured would sleep the whole evening - which she did. Instead my stomach just became increasingly sour and the shaking wouldn't stop. I rushed to the bathroom twice to throw up, which rather distressed the little boy (and myself! I was now convinced I had a stomach bug and I was going to get the kids sick). When I wasn't puking, I had diarrhea to contend with too.<br /></p><p>I ended up calling the children's' grandparents to take my place in watching the kids and the grandfather was perfectly fine driving me the half mile home. There I parked myself on the couch with the "barf bucket" (a cleaning bucket that served double-duty for the gastrically challenged) and trembled from head to toe while breathing heavy, and was utterly unable to doze off despite feeling exhausted.</p><p>This was the first time my parents expressed any concern (that I noticed anyway) about one of these fits as it was so much more severe than anything previous. And I was convinced that it was utterly different from my other nervous episodes; certain that I was physically ill. When I expressed that I was dizzy, had a hard time forming complete sentences and my hands were starting to seize up and form claw shapes (in hindsight, that was all from hyperventilation), they decided it was time to take me to the emergency room where I got my first ride in a wheelchair because by then I was having a real hard time walking straight. </p><p>The staff ran some tests and hooked me up to a bag of fluids, but they couldn't find anything wrong with me. After being there for an hour or so I was suddenly feeling better and so was sent home. No one even mentioned the possibility that this was actually "just" a panic attack. It never crossed anyone's mind until much later. </p><p>I tried babysitting for that family one more time after that, and though I did make it through the whole time they'd hired me for, I was utterly miserable. My stomach just did flip-flops and my body shook so much that I couldn't play with the boy and he was sent to bed early while I watched TV to try to calm my nerves. I had to give up on my babysitting aspirations after that. I just couldn't handle it.<br /></p><p>By the time I went to college, I had been around enough between trips through school and Girl Scouts to know that my first night sleeping in a strange place wasn't going to be pleasant (as symptoms typically only arose after dark). Those symptoms included: intense nausea (with no vomiting); uncontrollable shaking; heavy breathing; pounding heart; tender belly; and usually diarrhea/loose stools (though pooping sometimes made me feel worse, so I'd often try not to go to the bathroom). Sometimes my mouth would water and I'd have to spit into a tissue, or (gross!) just let myself drool because swallowing would only sour my stomach more. Laying down would make me feel far worse, so I'd have to sit up or walk around. I could typically doze lightly in this state (while sitting up of course), but I'd have weird dreams and wake often. Having the lights out would exacerbate symptoms, so lights needed to stay on for the duration. Stomach remedies like Pepto Bismol didn't really help, but they typically didn't make it worse either. Obviously I had no interest in food during these attacks and the smell, sometimes even just the thought of food was a big no-no; though I found nibbling of something very bland and simple, like lettuce wasn't a bad thing. I usually had no interest in drinking anything other than light sips of water. Symptoms tended to come on suddenly and leave just as quickly; the whole ordeal lasting several hours. Once it passed though, I'd feel perfectly fine. I could lay down again and sleep soundly. The dark posed absolutely no problem.<br /><br />This pattern continued through college and then into living on my own. Around that time that I started calling my affliction "Travel Anxiety" because it seemed to only happen when traveling. This of course didn't stop me from taking trips, it just meant I had to plan for these inevitable inconveniences. The real problem arose when I starting having troubles eating at restaurants or at friend's houses. This is where my anxiety issues started getting linked to food in my head. If at a restaurant, I'd have to pay attention to where the bathrooms were in case I had an attack and have to rush off with a bout of diarrhea (which was becoming more frequent). I'd have to warn friends that my stomach may take a turn for the worse and I may need to go home early or just live in the bathroom for a half hour.</p><p>This affliction became more than just irritating or annoying, I was starting to lose weight (which was a bit of a problem as I've always been on the skinnier side). I was also starting to become afraid to eat because by this point in my life (early to mid-20's) it seemed that I was getting sick about every-other time I ate. This was becoming a real issue.</p><p>Click <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/curing-what-i-thought-was-ibs-part-2.html">here </a>for Part 2, or if you want to skip to the end, <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/curing-what-i-thought-was-ibs-part-3.html">here's</a> Part 3.</p>kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-57001708161054921212020-10-11T06:20:00.002-07:002020-10-11T06:23:57.169-07:00COVID Update (And More)<p>I'd be remiss if I didn't do some type of COVID follow-up after my <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-first-three-days-as-covid-19-nurse.html">last post</a>; so here's a quick recap: I'm happy to announce that the Coronavirus did not effect my region nearly as badly as it did some others. "The Bubble" was dismantled in early April and all the patient rooms on the floor where I work were equipped with fans to turn them into negative air pressure rooms (so long as you keep the patient room door closed). We still get the occasional COVID-19 positive patient here and there. Happily there's no longer the underlying nervousness about caring for these patients. We have a better understanding now of how to treat COVID patients and what to look out for as warning signs that they may need a higher level of care (i.e. transfer to the ICU).<br /></p><p>It <i>does </i>make people outside of the hospital setting nervous when they ask, "So what do <i>you </i>do?" and I out and out reply, "I'm a COVID nurse." They take a step back and tend to keep their distance. They often have questions, which I'm happy to answer. I try to relieve ignorance where I can. This is a nasty illness and it can take down the strong and weak alike, the healthy and the sick. At this point we have no way of predicting who will develop complications from contracting the coronavirus, and who will just have passing symptoms that don't even need hospitalization; so we in the healthcare field advocate doing what can be done to avoid coming down with it in the first place. Frequent hand washing, and mask-wearing while in poorly ventilated spaces where one may be within six feet of another person are still the best precautions.<br /></p><p> I know everyone is sick (no pun intended) of COVID-19. People in the future will likely look back on this brief span of time and be amazed at how much air-time this virus has received. I can't wait for this illness to become a thing of the past; but for now it's still here and it's still real.</p><p>* * *<br /></p><p>On a happily unrelated note: I've been up to more than "just" nursing. I recently started work on a Regency (Empire) Era outfit (pics in future posts that will feature more of the outfit as it's completed). This project will be a hybrid of hand-sewn and machine-sewn. Though I'm shooting for as historically accurate as possible, there will likly be liberties taken based on my whims. So far I have the chemise and stays finished.</p><p>I continue to pick away at the Vampire story. It's nearing the end and as of this writing was sitting at just below 68,000 words. I've mentioned a lot on social media that this one will likely never be published as it's too much like other already-existing works; so we'll call it an "homage piece". Happily this means that it'll be available to all who ask (for free) when it's finished and gets squeezed through a couple beta reads. (It may be free, but it's going to be proof-read and edited!).</p><p>I've been putting off agent-scouting the Tree Mage story, waiting for the fabled "Right Time™". Of course now would be a great time since we're getting into NaNoWriMo season and submitting right before then would be ideal.</p><p>Speaking of which: I have no intention of participating in <a href="https://nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo </a>this year, but in <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-second-go-around.html">past years</a> I've jumped in rather last minute, so anything can happen.</p><p>Lastly: I was recently interviewed by Andrea Harkins for her Martial Arts Woman podcast. Link for the accompanying blog post that also has the podcast link <a href="http://themartialartswoman.com/gwendolyn-wilkins-eclectic-martial-artist-and-covid-nurse/?fbclid=IwAR30PA7ge1r4f6bZ2OkLm1BQJoUCD1m-pcsp5zY6aH8GH4Qazv22lVWTqdc">here</a>. <br /></p>kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-4259696264184904732020-03-24T17:39:00.000-07:002020-03-25T02:45:45.761-07:00The First Three Days as a COVID-19 Nurse<div style="text-align: center;">
"<i>May you live in interesting times</i>"</div>
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~ Joseph Chamberlain</div>
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Quick backstory: I graduated nursing school in May of 2019. Was hired even before graduating at the hospital where I had done my clinical rotations. Took and passed my boards in June and started working as an RN that July. I was hired to the Med-Surg floor. Med-Surg being short for "Medical-Surgical"; we take care of people with stable medical conditions: usually COPD, complications from diabetes, pneumonia, dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, just to name a few. We also help alcoholics take their first tenuous steps towards sobriety (quitting drinking cold turkey can cause numerous health problems including seizures; we have a treatment pathway to help ease the transition). On the Surgical side, we care for knee, hip and shoulder surgeries/replacements as well as spinal fusions.There's also a variety of abdominal surgeries: appendectomies, removal of gall bladders, colon resections, etc.<br />
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I was eight months into my first year as an RN when the Coronavirus started affecting my region. Because the Med-Surg floor at my hospital is centrally located - the ICU, ER, OR and medical imaging suites are all on the same floor - we were selected to have half the floor cordoned off to be the COVID-19 isolation unit, staffed (at least for now) by volunteers. I was quick to raise my hand to volunteer since my family and myself are all in the low-risk demographic to experience complications from the Coronavirus. Plus I wanted the opportunity to see and experience first-hand how COVID-19 was being treated and what measures were being taken to protect healthcare workers.<br />
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Sectioning off half of a hospital ward was no easy task: the new unit must maintain negative pressure, meaning the air in the unit cannot circulate throughout the rest of the hospital, and it must be at a lower air pressure than the air outside the isolated ward. Air from the COVID-19 unit is filtered and sent directly outside. This involves a lot of fans and hoses that look like drier vents. The integrity of this isolation unit is maintained by water-proof plastic canvas airlocks held in place with industrial-strength tape. The airlock is accessed through heavy duty zippers. There are clear plastic windows so you can see in and out of the airlock. The airlock is just large enough to fit a hospital bed. I call this isolation unit "The Bubble".<br />
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With The Bubble being its own self-contained unit, the next problem was the supply logistics. Because there is an obvious need to limit what comes through the airlock, everything needed for patient care needs to be kept within The Bubble. Patient meds are stored in a large computerized locked cabinet called a Pyxis (pronounced pik-sis). Ours looks like this:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SOTvGlfHbJU/XnlkJCLbm3I/AAAAAAAAAO8/JXKd16OnpV8MpEdAfg9_UJEofOawYbl7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/pyxis-medstation-system_2_DI_1011-0002.png.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="383" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SOTvGlfHbJU/XnlkJCLbm3I/AAAAAAAAAO8/JXKd16OnpV8MpEdAfg9_UJEofOawYbl7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/pyxis-medstation-system_2_DI_1011-0002.png.webp" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">https://www.bd.com/assets//images/international/our-products/medication-supply-management/pyxis-medstation-system_2_DI_1011-0002.png</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Med-Surg unit has two of them, so one went into The Bubble and into a room that's usually used as a conference room. This conference room also became the supply room for IV bags and tubing, linens, diabetic testing supplies, a refrigerator and any other supplies/equipment needed to care for our patients. All in a room that was cozy with just eight people before; it now is tight with three or four.<br />
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Computers were also a tricky thing to figure out. At our hospital, we use COW's (Computers on Wheels) to document med distribution, patient charting, monitor test results. etc. We have a fair number of them on our floor, but how many should go in The Bubble? Then it became: where to plug them in to charge? In normal times they get plugged into an outlet in the hallway, and there's a fair amount of outlets...or so we thought. Remember all those fans we need to maintain the negative pressure? They need outlets too. As do the chargers for the walkie-talkies we use to talk to folks outside of The Bubble. As do the small handful of other electronics needed to keep things rolling on the inside. So power strips joined the party.<br />
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Keeping things clean comes next. Those COW's have a lot of surfaces. Glucometers for checking blood sugar also have to come in and out of patient rooms. They all need to be wiped down after every use. Thank heavens for disposable stethoscopes! There's one for each patient, so they don't need to be cleaned as often. Even so, one becomes pretty obsessive pretty quick about bleach wipes.<br />
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So now how to keep the nurses safe from catching this? How to keep them from spreading this virus to each other, other patients, their families, the general public? Enter PPE (Personal Protective Equipment): Gowns, gloves, goggles and masks.<br />
Ah, masks. The polices keep changing on masks due to supply issues and that's a real sticking point. It partly comes down to the question of Droplet vs Airborne precautions. Here's a quick breakdown:<br />
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Droplet precautions: according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/basics/transmission-based-precautions.html">CDC</a>, they should be in place when "pathogens [are] transmitted by respiratory droplets that are generated by a patient who is coughing, sneezing, or talking". The pathogens hitch a ride on water droplets which are heavy and don't stay in the air for long. They can only travel about 3-6 feet before dropping down. This from of precaution is used for the flu typically and other catchy respiratory ailments. For these situations, a surgical mask provides perfectly acceptable coverage because water droplets are relatively big. We also wear disposable gowns just to be safe.<br />
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Airborne precautions: "pathogens transmitted by the airborne route". Okay; and that means....? This means the contagion can stay in the air for far longer because it's not hanging out on just water droplets. It can travel farther too because it's not drifting back to earth as quickly. In nursing school we learn the acronym MTV for "Measles, Tuberculosis & Vericella (chicken pox)". These are the three most common diseases that are transmitted via the airborne route. Airborne bugs need a more heavy-duty mask to be filtered out. Enter the N95 mask. These need to fit tightly to the face and we're tested annually to ensure the size we've been assigned still works for us.<br />
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So...is the Coronavirus a droplet or airborne pathogen?<br />
According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/transmission.html">CDC</a>, Coronavirus is "only" a droplet baddy so a surgical mask <i>should </i>be fine at stopping it. <i>However </i>if a patient is receiving a nebulizer treatment; or a nurse must handle intubation equipment, the virus is considered airborne and an N95 should be worn.<br />
That being said, most hospitals are taking no chances and staff treating patients who test positive for or are suspected of having COVID-19 are instructed to wear N95 masks.<br />
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Here's the problem, because we rarely encounter airborne pathogens on a regular basis, hospitals do not have vast stocks of N95 masks. Pair that with the fact that panic-buying has depleted the supply and Coronavirus took a while to come to the US, these masks are in short supply. Surgical masks are also limited presently partly due to the aforementioned panic-buying, but also because we're just coming out of flu season; so rationing has been put in place. When and how masks are used is certainly a point of contention and guidelines and policies are changing day to day (sometimes hour to hour!).<br />
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That all being said, what does a day look like in the life of a COVID-19 nurse?<br />
I get up at 5:30 in the morning, get myself together. Put on my regular work scrubs (just in case I'm not needed in The Bubble that day for some reason) and head out a little after 6:00. It's a 25-30 minute commute for me; very little traffic at that hour and with quarantining in place, traffic is even lighter. Lately I've been listening to Lindsey Stirling's album "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Artemis-Lindsey-Stirling/dp/B07TLPBC39/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=lindsey+stilring%2C+artemis&qid=1585088711&sr=8-1-fkmr0">Artemis</a>" in the car because her music makes me so happy.<br />
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Once at work, I'm greeting by two people: one to take my temperature and one to ask if I have symptoms of Coronavirus and/or have been tested for it. Once through the checkpoint I head up to my floor, clock in and go to the locker room. I've really paired down what I take with me into The Bubble - just a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/BIC-4-Color-Ballpoint-Assorted-12-Count/dp/B01ARMUZ1E/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=four+color+pen&qid=1585088864&sr=8-2">four-color pen</a>, a flashlight, my bandage scissors, some alcohol swabs and IV tubing caps. A small handful of individually wrapped hard candies helps keep the blood sugar up throughout the day.<br />
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As soon as I know I'm going into The Bubble, I slip into the patient room that's become the COVID nurse break-room. I leave my water bottle on the table, grab a set of hospital-provided scrubs, hop into the bathroom and change, leaving my badge with my work scrubs (one less thing to clean). The clothing I wear coming in goes into a plastic bag. I make sure my hair is pulled back tight, set my stuff off to the side, and into the airlock I go.<br />
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I don a rewashable yellow gown, a pair of gloves and a surgical mask and then step through the airlock and into The Bubble. I receive report from the nurse coming off shift, make sure I have enough N95 masks for the number of patients I have (we try to keep it to no more than three patients per nurse); and off I go! Because policies are always shifting, things are a little different from one day to the next. Maybe our aid(s) will do all the vital signs on the patients in The Bubble, sometimes we're supposed to as we're assessing. We pass meds, we get things for our patients, keep an eye on test results and imaging (X-rays, CT scans, etc). We do EKG's ourselves - something other people did before; to limit the number of people in The Bubble, we're doing more ourselves. We keep the doctors abreast to changes as things can change quickly with a patient. We're mostly Med-Surg nurses; we're used to taking care of "healthy sick" patients, so this is a little new to most of us.<br />
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Because our hallway garb is considered "clean" we can go right into a patient room if we have a mask for that room. Once we're done, we stop at the doorway, take off our gown and gloves. The N95 goes into a brown paper bag clipped to the doorframe. We wipe off our goggles, wash our hands and put on a new gown and set of gloves and our hall mask. We're now considered "clean" and can wander around freely until we go into another room. <br />
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What does COVID-19 look like? Well, as of this writing I've only cared for one confirmed case. That person had a low-grade fever (100°) that didn't come down with Tylenol, they had chills and needed supplemental oxygen via a nasal cannula. They remained alert throughout all this, but felt weak. Though their pulse oximetry reading looked fine, their ABG (Arterial Blood Gas) report wasn't so great and their chest x-ray showed a deterioration in condition. For these reasons that person was transferred to the ICU (which has also become a negative pressure Bubble).<br />
But we <i>have </i>discharged COVID-19-positive people who were perfectly stable, with the instructions to self-quarantine.<br />
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The vast majority of patients inside The Bubble have tested negative; but that can cause a false sense of security. To get a positive test, one has to have enough of the virus within their body for the test to detect the viral RNA. Easy-peasy. But if there isn't enough virus within your system, it may come back negative even if you actually have it, so we're telling everyone we discharge from the COVID-19 unit to self-quarantine for two weeks even if their test comes back negative. [<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/testing-laboratories.html">source</a>]<br />
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We're encouraged to leave The Bubble periodically for food, water and rest. We're usually pretty good about lunch and dinner, but we rarely remember to take breaks. When you leave the Bubble, you go into the airlock, take off the gown, and gloves. Your goggles and mask go into another brown paper bag. Squirt some sanitizer onto your hands and you're good to leave the airlock for fresh air and food. (We have a staff bathroom within The Bubble, so we don't need to leave for that). We have been instructed to take our temperature at least two times per shift.<br />
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At the end of the shift, after leaving the airlock, I grab my bag of clothes and another bag with shower flip-flops and a hair brush that always stays at work. I hop into the bathroom and shower real quick - someone has lovingly provided shampoo, conditioner and body wash for communal use. After which I put on the scrubs I came to work in, toss the hospital-provided scrubs and my towels and washcloth in a linen bin and chill for a little bit before heading home.<br />
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I'm the one getting groceries for the family, so if we need something, I stop at the store on my way home; careful to maintain an appropriate amount of social distancing, but also being as friendly as possible because people are nervous right now and a smile here and there never hurt anybody! I get to chill at home for about an hour and a half before getting ready for bed so I can do it again the next day.<br />
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I've had two glorious days off since those first three days in The Bubble and tomorrow I go back for another two days. Likely things will be a little different tomorrow; and things will continue to change and evolve as the presence of the virus changes and evolves in our area.<br />
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While things are going on inside The Bubble, the rest of the Med-Surg floor is waiting and holding its collective breath. Patients that usually go to our floor are being sent to the other Medical floor in our hospital. All elective surgeries have been cancelled; so there's very few patients outside The Bubble on our floor at the moment. There's been talk off turning the whole Med-Surg floor into a negative pressure COVID-19 ward. If that happens, we'll go from 10 rooms and 14 beds to 20 rooms and 30 beds. <br />
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Who knows where this will take us. In a year one might reread this and think, "Oh, my sweet summer child. You knew nothing." or they may go, "Welp, that was overkill." Right now though, we just don't know where things are headed. Current quarantine measures may successfully flatten the curve and we'll all come out of this just fine; or things can go to hell in a hand basket very quickly and hospitals will become overwhelmed in a matter of days. We're doing the best we can with the information and supplies available to us. Our goal is to keep people safe and healthy.<br />
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I absolutely love the outpouring of public support and the desire multiple people have had to make rewashable fabric masks for healthcare workers. Unfortunately, according to <a href="https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577?fbclid=IwAR3sOh49eMbqFTB6OSZa-jhTNda7edkyUm2_lyt4cBDD_pODZ9Oe3b1R6rU">this study</a>, fabric masks are not terribly effective and most certainly won't replace those N95's, but I very much appreciate people's desire to help where they can. Right now you can help best by staying home as much as possible and washing your hands. Buy only what you need; but by all means buy a little ahead so you don't need to go out as frequently. Eat well. Love your neighbor and stay safe! <br />
<br />kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-73289037425684193782020-01-06T08:08:00.001-08:002020-01-06T08:08:45.455-08:00Where Have I Been: Part 2I assure you, this blog isn't abandoned; I actually come back here fairly frequently to double-check dates on writing projects and life events. It's been a crazy few years (As you might have guessed from part 1 of the post with the same name).<br />
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All I can say is nursing school absorbed a great deal of my time. Once my pre-req classes were done and nursing school started in full, I quit my job, dumped all extra-curricular activities and hankered down for a two-year program that only got harder and more stressful as the semesters went! I have significantly more silver in my hair now than I did before nursing school and I can tell you that I wear it as a badge of pride! I worked very hard for my degree and then passing my boards. I was hired right out of clinical and have been working as an RN for nearly six months now.<br />
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I'm continually surprised at how well I'm handling the responsibility, occasional "ickiness" and energetic requirements of this noble profession. Turns out I'm apparently very well-suited for being a nurse and that's been a great relief!<br />
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But y'all aren't here to get caught up on my real-world pursuits. What have I been doing in the artisic/writing realm?<br />
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1) That King George costume I'd been drooling over in the last post has been created. And despite my best efforts to NOT rush it, the fates conspired against me and I was working right up till the last minute making it (yes boys and girls, I got to see Hamilton in person and it was amazing!)<br />
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I immediately followed that project up with a rushed Viking Era garb project that I (ironically) haven't worn yet; but I can assure you that those two back-to-back projects have quelled my need for sewing for quite a while! (tee-hee)<br />
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2) As far as writing goes: that WIP I mentioned was indeed completed and run through two or three beta readers. I've been wanting to agent-scout it for a year or two, but haven't managed yet. One more beta reader got their hands on it and I haven't incorporated their edits/suggestions yet. I want to get out of post-NaNoWriMo season before giving it a 2020 go.<br />
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3) Two summers ago I had a weird dream that sparked an idea for a vampire story (I've been wanting to write a vampire story for a very long time, but felt there was nothing I could add to the genre). This story may not be terribly original, but it's been a delightful guilty pleasure that I started typing up this past summer. I'm about 75% done with it and enjoying it immensely; though it may never see the light of day.<br />
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4) "The Kai'us Planet" is next on the docket once that vampire tale achieves a satisfactory level of completion. I'm always noodling on it and making mental tweaks here and there so once I actually sit down and put fingertips to keys, it should go fairly quick (famous last words!)<br />
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5) And all those blog topics I hinted at so many years back?<br />
They're still floating around in ye ol' noggin; and on a list on my desk somewhere. I may indeed kick out a series of them to share with you all at some point. It depends a great deal on my general ambition level. I may just start afresh with something else I haven't even thought of yet.<br />
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We'll see how it goes.<br />
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In the mean time, I just wanted to check in and let you all know that I am indeed still alive and being creative. Thanks so much for stopping by and I'm hoping to pick this back up again and be lexically active again. kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-32068791820268970472017-07-20T15:25:00.002-07:002017-07-20T15:25:31.705-07:00Chakras and CivilizationI really enjoyed taking Sociology last semester. It stirred up a lot of think-juice. On the first day of class the teacher handed out index cards and had us answer a handful of questions describing ourselves and our views. The last question asked us to articulate how we viewed society: "Society is..."<br />
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Society is what?<br />
The answer was supposed to give the teacher an idea on whether we viewed society along the lines of an Interactionist, a Functionalist, or a Conflict...ist (Head over to the <a href="https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/the-sociological-perspective/three-major-perspectives-in-sociology">Cliff Notes</a> for explanations on all that). Neither here nor there though, we didn't know any of that stuff yet. There was just the question to answer.<br />
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I noodled on it for a bit and finally wrote, "Society is like the Chakra system".<br />
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Over the next few days that notion blossomed into a rather fun, "What if" theory. What if the growth and development of society is like the seven (or more?) Chakras described in Eastern philosophy? Curious about what the heck a Chakra is? I rather liked the descriptions given on Deepak Chopra's website, so I'll just drop that <a href="http://www.chopra.com/articles/what-is-a-chakra">link here</a>. Fear not, here's the TL:DR, or if you're already familiar with Chakras, here's my (abbreviated) personal take on these critical energy centers in the human body:<br />
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1) The Root Chakra - Your connection to your "People"; your base and foundation<br />
2) The Sacral Chakra - The creative center; associated with sexuality and reproduction<br />
3) The Solar Plexus Chakra - Digestion and processing of new ideas and information; this Chakra is considered the dividing line between the mundane and spiritual<br />
4) The Heart Chakra - Love specifically; feelings and emotions in general<br />
5) The Throat Chakra - Communication and articulation<br />
6) Third Eye - Perceiving more than what "meets the eye"; intuition<br />
7) The Crown Chakra - Your connection to divinity; your spiritual awareness<br />
<br />
So how does that relate to cultural development?<br />
I feel that society naturally moves through various stages that can be related to the Chakra "ladder". I can't imagine I'm the first to come up with this idea, but I haven't encountered it before. This is just a fun thought exercise and isn't a perfect analogy, so here goes:<br />
<br />
1) A species develops its way up to sentience (yay!). Family groups band together for protection, companionship and to help increase survival. Budding culture starts to form as "rules" need to be developed to handle individuals living in larger groups: knowing one's place within the group; knowing that one must act differently/deferentially in the presence of certain individuals. Social roles start to form: who gathers food? Should certain individuals eat first? Who makes the shelter, or finds the best place to sleep? Who tends to the young? Who keeps order? Who has the right to reproduce? Who <i>isn't</i> allowed to reproduce, etc? <br />
<br />
I feel that dolphins, elephants, great apes, and certain parrot species are already at this level.<br />
For humans, this is the early caveman era.<br />
<br />
2) Moving along to the creative center. More refined language develops. Though rudimentary language forms back in the first phase with instinctual communication (body language, scent and universal utterances); communication leaps forward in this stage. Grammar develops; vocabulary explodes; body language becomes more conscious and/or elaborate. Dialects and "accents" form: Members of one group may no longer be able to communicate effectively with other groups.<br />
<br />
Tool-making takes off. Stone Age(s)!<br />
<br />
3) In my opinion Humans are the only ones to make it this far (on our planet). This is where the environment gets "conquered". The building of elaborate dwellings. The domestication of plants and other animals. Mining. Body adornments become more showy and not just for protection and warmth anymore. Groups can get larger and more organized as language continues to develop and become increasingly refined.<br />
<br />
Going back to Chakras: in the body, the diaphragm separates the solar plexus from the Heart Charka (hence the notion of the diaphragm separating the energies of the mundane from the divine). This diaphragm "ceiling" meant that humanity hung out here for a <i>very </i>long time. Speaking of the divine though, let's move on:<br />
<br />
4) The religion of love!<br />
Though religions certainly developed before this stage, they were authoritative to reflect and reinforce the (now ancient) cultural rules that have glued society together. Before this point, even though humanity had been living together in increasingly larger groups for centuries, there was still a selfish "every-man-for-himself" attitude underlying it all.<br />
<br />
Along comes The Buddha, Jesus and Mohamed talking about love and compassion. For the first time people were asked to think of others <i>as </i>themselves instead of <i>apart </i>from themselves. <br />
<br />
It's taken centuries since then for humanity to climb up out of the quagmire of a desire for world domination to an understanding that: living things go extinct if you kill them all; that the earth can be scarred if not cared for; that children are not just miniature adults capable of adult thought and reasoning; that oppressed people might actually desire freedom and autonomy.<br />
<br />
I think this is primarily the stage humanity is at presently. There's still plenty of thoughts and notions aligned with the three earlier stages, but there's also a fair amount of movement upward too. The human race won't move forward as a whole until the older mindsets dissolve (we'll get there!).<br />
<br />
5) My optimistic views are driven by the fact that there is clear movement into the communication center. The printing press, telegraph, radio, telephones, television, the internet (OMG the internet!) The world is shrinking as we continue to find new and faster ways to communicate with each other! Societal empathy continues to grow as we communicate more and more with different people.<br />
<br />
Previously oppressed people (women, racial/cultural minorities, etc) are "winning" their voices and the right to speak as growing equals to those who have held power in the previous stages.<br />
<br />
6) As society equalizes and the thought of killing and oppression becomes increasingly distasteful to the masses, I feel we'll shift into this sixth stage. Of course there <i>are </i>individuals already filtering upward - think the Indigo and Crystal Children touted about in the New Age movement. (Sorry, no links for this - go hunting yourself. I couldn't find any good sites that weren't too "flowery"). And that's a big reason why I really don't think we're "there" yet.<br />
<br />
At present this stage of humanity is viewed very romantically and (in my humble opinion) over simplistically because it's being viewed/projected through the lens of those old-fashioned mindsets I spoke of earlier. Yes, antiquated social structures that no longer serve our race or the planet will indeed need to break down to get to this point, but I feel the stereotype assigned to this stage is a group of uninhabited hippies wearing flowers and flowing robes; diluting their childish narcissism by chanting OM into their crystals.<br />
<br />
I feel that instead of the people of this stage being self-absorbed and mis-/un-informed, there will instead come a sense of personal responsibility to oneself and others. A thirst for knowledge and understanding of all things, not just what affects the self. There'll be a universal level of self-awareness and (therefore) social-awareness at this stage. A knowing and acknowledging that every thought, word and action affects others. Yes, society will be very different; but that's because the rules of the first stage will be done away with. The need for second-stage sexual power will no longer hold sway; previously held hierarchies and social roles will collapse. The need to conquer the world and all upon it will be considered petty and unjust.<br />
<br />
Instead people and society will flow consciously, intuitively, and empathically. Love and communication with become the new foundation for the world ahead.<br />
<br />
Another thing I predict for this stage is a great lessening of communal fear. What I mean by that is events of the world (either societal- or nature-driven) are presently viewed as random and therefore scary. Entering into the Third-Eye stage of development, the causes of things will be more clearly seen. The seeming randomness of the world will evaporate. A pervasive fearlessness will fill humanity. <br />
<br />
7) Oh boy!<br />
This stage is so far above my head (Get it? Get it?) that I can't even begin to speculate.<br />
A constant/conscious connection with Divinity. A knowing of "Who You Are" (humanity's greatest question) without even needing to ask. What will that be like? Who knows.<br />
Lets go find out!kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-68399540770148349192017-05-21T17:47:00.001-07:002017-05-21T17:47:34.248-07:00Where've I Been?Not writing, obviously!<br />
<br />
This winter/spring has been crazy with school (three classes, one with a lab & lecture to boot), working full-time; and, oh doing a play and participating in a belly dance show because I'm crazy like that. Have I mentioned that we've also taken in my (now) ten year old niece? Yeah, things have been busy around here of late.<br />
<br />
Happily, the spring semester finished up over a week ago, suddenly freeing up my time. I won't have class again until July (yay!). So in the meantime I'm planning on laying low and keeping my extracurricular activities to a minimum (cue canned laugh-track).<br />
<br />
There's been no meaningful martial arts practice in my life for well over a year. This is bothering me less now than it did a few months ago, but I'd really like to get back into it if I can. Rather thinking of giving Wing Chun Kung Fu a try; and maybe taking a Tai Chi refresher class here and there. Karate is going to have to take a long hiatus unless something new and exciting pops up.<br />
<br />
Haven't been doing any sewing/crafting to speak of in about as long. Fortunately I've discovered the Hamilton soundtrack (thanks to the theater kids in the afore mentioned play), and I'm chomping at the bit to make a King George III cosplay. Of course the niece will want something too, so I'll have to plan accordingly for that as well. <br />
<br />
In the writing department, my thoughts keep returning to the WIP that I'm close to finishing, as well as "The Kai'us Planet". Those aside though, school has really lit a fire under me concerning blog ideas. I have a whole list of topics ranging from whimsical, esoteric pieces; to seriously researched and cited articles; to everything in between. It was really hard not to work on them earlier, but food and sleep won out (seriously, these past few months have been insane!) I'm hoping in the coming weeks I can set some time aside to hammer out a few of these ideas for your reading pleasure.<br />
<br />
So that's the long and short of it.<br />
This blog hasn't been abandoned, just set aside while life did its thing. Here's to hoping you hear from me again sooner than five months from now! <br />
<br />
<br />kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-5578535233795081012016-12-28T08:38:00.000-08:002016-12-28T08:38:38.944-08:00A Year in Review - 2016Welp, that year didn't go as expected.<br />
There's been some pretty interesting highs and lows this year. Here's the breakdown:<br />
<br />
<u><b>Illness Leads to Education </b></u><br />
<br />
I started off this year "right" with a rip-roaring case of <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/02/life-with-mono-week-6.html">mono</a>. Though it knocked me <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/03/life-with-mono-week-12.html">on my ass</a>, I apparently got off pretty easy. I slept a lot, didn't have a huge amount of stamina, I tired really easy, and standing in one place for more than ten seconds (like waiting in line at the store or bank) was terrifying as I felt I could collapse at any moment; but I <i>could </i>function. Maybe because I was in the best shape of my life when I fell ill. I was just thinking about gearing up for my next Karate rank, and had just started taking boxing lessons to improve my sparring. I was assistant teaching Tai Chi and was doing daily exercises in the morning before work.<br />
<br />
So instead of staying at home in bed sleeping, like I should have been, I'd go into work for four hours (since I was at my strongest in the mornings), then go home and sleep for a little bit and then remote into work for a couple hours in the evenings. Looking back I'd say this arrangement was suicidally crazy, but I needed money and I really hate doing nothing. Because of that, during a stretch where I couldn't work even under <i>those </i>conditions, I decided to apply to a local community college with the intent of going to nursing school. (I get bored easy you see; if you leave me alone with nothing to do, I end up doing crazy things like that.)<br />
<br />
I got in!<br />
<br />
Now some of you might be asking, "What?!"<br />
While others will be cheering, "Finally!"<br />
<br />
For the first group: I've been toying with the notion of becoming a nurse for a very long time; I just never felt I had the level of maturity and emotional wherewithal to handle being in that noble profession. However, a lot has happened in my life within the past five or so years to make me feel I might actually be ready to give this a go. Being home-bound, (supposedly) recovering from mono was just that little nudge I needed to take the plunge.<br />
<br />
I just finished my first semester of prerequisite classes earlier this month, passing with flying colors (while working full-time). I put in my formal application to the nursing program as soon as the final grades were posted.<br />
Next semester (which starts at the end of January) will be ten credits (three classes) of general education classes that I'd like to get out of the way before doing "real" nursing school (which starts next fall if I get in). The summer semester will also be just gen-eds.<br />
<br />
I'll know if I've landed a coveted a seat in the Class of 2019 about halfway through this coming semester. <b><i>If </i></b>I get in, I plan on dropping back to part-time at the 9-5 job, or stop working completely to focus on school. We'll be playing that one by ear as it comes.<br />
<br />
The current game-plan is to get my RN and work in a hospital for as long as I can tolerate it. During that time I'd like to see if I can find an employer who'll pay for me to get my Bachelor's degree. After which I want to get even <i>more </i>nursing experience before going on to get my Master's and become a Certified Nurse Midwife. We'll see where and how that all goes (you know, the way to make God laugh and all that...)<br />
<br />
As for my health: it's taken most of this year to recover my strength and stamina. I'm still seriously limiting the extracurricular activities, but happily there's plenty of others things going on presently to keep me occupied (more on that later).<br />
<br />
<u><b>Martial Arts</b></u><br />
<br />
Though I had every intention to push for my next Karate rank this year, thanks to mono and changes at the Karate club, I've been laying low in regards to the martial arts. I also had to drop the Tai Chi assistant teaching due to my illness; but I think the couple months I did do it <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2015_11_01_archive.html">served their purpose</a>. I still practice the whole short form on my own periodically, which is quite lovely.<br />
<br />
Recently I tried to do my morning exercises again (something I just haven't had the strength to do for most of this year). I was happy to see I could stick with it for a full week, but because I'm not really doing anything physically challenging at present, I didn't see the need to keep up with it.<br />
<br />
We'll see what next year brings to my martial arts journey. It might be another time for a hiatus. Who knows.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Cabin in the Woods</b></u><br />
<br />
As soon as I was well enough to do any level of physical labor this spring, my husband Rick and I headed up to Raquette Lake on any and all available weekends to continue cleaning out his father's camp (a project we'd been tackling since last summer). We had hoped to get an offer on it this spring and get it sold ASAP so we wouldn't have to pay another year of property taxes on the place, but it wasn't to be.<br />
<br />
Still, we toiled through the summer as we slowly lost hope of selling it at all this year.<br />
<br />
Then out of the blue, a serious offer came in. The couple were happy to pay the list price but on one condition: the camp had to be completely cleared out by the closing slated for November 1st.<br />
<br />
Can do!<br />
Rick and I hauled ass wrangling up friends and family to help get that place cleaned out.<br />
An outsider may wonder, "How bad could it have been? It was after all just a little camp in the Adirondacks!"<br />
<br />
Yeah well, Rick's Dad was a hoarder and avid collector of all things not valuable. He'd lived in the camp every summer for several decades. Slowly and methodically he had haul things to up one boatload at a time. Books and furniture, and he NEVER threw out mail, newspapers or magazines. He loved all things Disney, so long as it could be fished out of a trash can for purchased for five bucks off ebay. Happily most of the stuff was meticulously cataloged and stored, but it didn't make getting it out of there any easier as you could only access the camp via a five-mile boat ride.<br />
<br />
It was not a fun or easy project, but we prevailed and the camp was "broom-clean" before the end of October! The closing went through without a hitch and we couldn't be happier! <br />
<br />
<u><b>Writing</b></u><br />
<br />
You might have noticed that the blog hasn't gotten much loving this year (apart from a couple really fun Kai'us-related series that I posted this summer).<br />
It's not that I haven't <i>wanted </i>to write on the blog: I've got several half-baked drafts sitting in my queue waiting to be finished. Lack of time and energy is what I'm blaming (see above, lol).<br />
<br />
Really though all my writing has suffered this year. I haven't even been working on my other WIP's, nor did I have much interest in participating in NaNoWriMo this year.<br />
<br />
So what else could be keeping me from writing apart from recovering from a debilitating illness, helping to clear out my deceased father-in-law's Adirondack camp and going to school? Glad you asked (see below)!<br />
<br />
<u><b>Co-Parenthood</b></u><br />
<br />
This summer, Rick and I became legal guardians of my nine year old niece in partnership with her parents (my brother and sister-in-law). She started living with us in mid-August. She started the fourth grade in our school district this September, and is loving Girl Scouts and Karate (when we go).<br />
<br />
Our days now tend to go as follows: Rick gets her up and ready for school as I get ready for work. I drive her into school as it works well with my work schedule and route. She and I get a few minutes of in-the-car-bonding time, which is fun; then I continue on to work and do grown-up things.<br />
Rick gets her off the bus in the afternoon, makes sure she does her homework and makes her dinner.<br />
In the evenings I come home, eat whatever is left of dinner and give Child my undivided attention so that Rick can get some alone time as she unwinds for the evening. Every evening, the three of us read together before bed. She has an early bedtime, so I get a good hour and a half, to two hours after she's gone to bed to do my own unwinding before I head off to sleep as well.<br />
<br />
So far it's been working really well for all involved. I honestly don't mind spending my evenings this way as otherwise I'd just be on the computer, probably not being terribly productive as I haven't been writing much lately.<br />
<br />
<u><b>So what do I hope for 2017?</b></u><br />
<br />
School will likely dominate my life for the next couple years, which doesn't bother me too much. I love learning. My current boss knows that my days at the printing company are numbered and he'll hopefully get me a replacement that I can train soon.<br />
<br />
The small business that I run with a friend is humming along nicely. We attended a couple events as vendors earlier this year and thanks to a new product we had to offer, we nearly doubled our sales from last year in just the first few months of this one! We also have a quiet <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/DancersDreamBoutique?ref=l2-shopheader-name">etsy presence</a> that's continued to generate tidy sales throughout the year. Interestingly enough my business partner will also be going back to school next year, so there's no hard feelings about me being busy with academic pursuits. It just means we'll have plan our crafting days a little more carefully than in the past. (She <a href="http://asipofsakki.com/">blogs too btw</a>. Feel free to give her a read!) <br />
<br />
As mentioned before: what I'll be doing in the martial arts department next year is a little up in the air. Right now I'm just taking it one day/week/month at a time. I <b>AM </b>a martial artist though, so I'm sure something will present itself.<br />
<br />
Same goes for writing. I have a WIP that's very close to being ready to go agent-hunting. It'd be nice to get the ball rolling again on that soon.<br />
<br />
2017 Holds a lot of promise and potential. We'll see how it goes!kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-88064187663885905542016-07-20T16:43:00.001-07:002016-07-20T16:43:32.229-07:00Kai'us Racial GeneticsThis is the last of series of posts regarding Kai'us culture (for now).<br />
The first bit was a <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/introduction-to-kaius-creation-myth.html">five-part series</a> last month going into the Kai'us creation myths. <br />
Earlier this month I also talked about the <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/07/kaius-clans.html">system Kai'us' use</a> to prevent inbreeding.<br />
<br />
This post will talk about how interracial Kai'us pairings work on an over-simplistic genetic level. <br />
Kai'us races are different from Human races. What <i>we </i>consider different "races" are just regional and ethnic variations. Any human can successfully produce viable offspring with any other human. In short: every "race" of humanity can interbreed.<br />
<br />
When I refer to "race" in regards to Kai'us', I'm actually referring to different sub-species. The seven genetically-unique Kai'us races <i>can </i>successfully interbreed and produce fertile offspring, but the racial genetic markers do not hybridize and it's possible (easy actually) to "breed out" specific genetic markers.<br />
<br />
This hasn't always been the case however. When their world goes through its periods of great geological instability, everyone's DNA becomes unstable and hybridization occurs much more freely. During the time period I'm working in though (Post-Second Cataclysm onward), Kai'us DNA is incredibly stable to the point where chromosomal abnormalities are practically unheard of. Even identical twins are incredibly rare (though fraternal twins are actually more common than among humans).<br />
<br />
Before I go into the details though, let's refresh ourselves on basic genetics. Remember that every person typically has two genes for any particular trait: one gene they get from their mother and the other they get from their father. Using that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punnett_square">Punnett Square</a> I mentioned in the last post, let's do an easy one and lay out the probability of parents producing a boy or a girl child. (Genetic) gender in humans is determined by the x- and y-chromosomes. If you have two x-chromosomes, you're genetically female. An x- and a y- together makes you genetically male. <br />
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<br />
Let's step it up a notch and pretend a person's height is determined by one of only two genes: "T" would produce tall people, "s" would produce short people, and a combination of the two would produce a person of medium height.<br />
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Okay, so now that you've recovered from flashbacks of Biology class, let's apply these principles to Kai'us'. As mentioned before, I'm going to over-simplify the following explanation significantly since
no one gene determines all of a Kai'us' racial characteristics, but to make
both our lives easier, let's just say that Kai'us race is determined by
either a dominant (D) or a recessive (r) gene.<br />
<br />
Pairings made from the same race can produce viable offspring no matter what combination of genes are expressed (DD, rr, or Dr would all be viable combinations).<br />
<br />
When you start blending races however things get tricky: to produce viable (live) offspring, one parent must provide a dominate racial gene, and the other parent must contribute a recessive racial gene. Two dominate genes or two recessives will not produce live young. Interestingly enough, when interracial pairings <i>do </i>occur, people are often more drawn to each other when they're genetically compatible. <br />
<br />
Another nice thing is that any children produced with the requisite dominate and recessive genes will be fully fertile and able to produce offspring of their own.<br />
<br />
For our first hypothetical pairing, let's put together a Spider Kai'us (represented by a "$" for dominate, and an "s" for recessive), and a Cave Kai'us (C for dominate, and ¢ for recessive) as this would be the most probable pairing, especially among the Ka-Kiu.<br />
<br />
Spider Kai'us' are a tall, desert-dwelling race with four arms. Red/orange mane colors are not uncommon among them, but various shades of brown are the norm (running more to the lighter end of the spectrum). Brown eyes are by far the most common, but other shades pop up here and there and run strongly in families when they do appear.<br />
<br />
Cave Kai'us' bear the "basic" Kai'us form (two arms, two legs, and average build). For mane colors, nearly every shade of brown can be found among them, though the extremes (blond at one end and black at the other) are very rare. Like most races, brown eyes are what you're most likely to find, but Cave Kai'us' are the most likely to have dark blue or dark green eyes of any other race.<br />
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Obviously this isn't the only combination that will produce viable offspring. A $s Spider Kai'us parent could have children with a ¢¢ Cave Kai'us (with a 50% success rate; all children would have four arms), or even a CC Cave Kai'us (50% as well; with two-armed children).<br />
<br />
A $$ parent could have children with a C¢ person (with 50% success; all children would have four arms), as well as a ¢¢ person (100% success; all children would have four arms as well).<br />
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A ss parent could also have children with a C¢ person (also with a 50% chance of success; all children would have two arms though). Mating with a CC person would provide a 100% chance of Cave Kai'us hybrids. <br />
<br />
Even though statistically there's a 50/50 chance of a genetic mismatch with most combinations; nearly every attempt at conception will produce a viable baby. This is because Kai'us' tend to only mate six times in their entire life. (The reasons are many) and Nature will do everything in its power to ensure the right genes match up to produce live offspring.<br />
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Now let's pair up a few hybrids and see the interesting combination that get produced:<br />
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For chuckles and giggles, let's introduce a third race. Though this is rare, even among the Ka-Kiu, let's put together a Cave and a Spider hybrid that both carry the racially recessive genes for Mountain Kai'us' (represented with an "m").<br />
<br />
The Mountain People have a heavier build than the other races. They're known for their physical strength; and they have thick, bristly hair that runs down the backs of their arms and legs the same color as their mane. Both their mane and eyes colors are consistently darker than the other races, almost always dark brown or black. <br />
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From this combination, you can see there's a 25% chance of no viable offspring, a 25% chance of a Cave/Mountain hybrid, a 25% of a Spider/Mountain hybrid, but a 25% of a genetically pure Mountain Kai'us.<br />
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And so there's the long and the short of Kai'us racial genetics.<br />
I hope you've enjoyed this peek into the science end of Kai'us'.<br />
If you liked what you've read these past two months, be sure to bug me periodically to get the book finished so you can read a whole novel about these fascinating creatures!kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-83101115064809605132016-07-13T15:21:00.000-07:002016-07-13T15:21:27.574-07:00Kai'us ClansLast month I posted a series of Kai'us creation myths (check out the intro <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/introduction-to-kaius-creation-myth.html">here </a>if you like; it will also lead you through the rest of the myths).<br />
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I was having so much fun writing all this Kai'us stuff that I thought I'd spill things over into this month and get science-y; discussing a little about Kai'us genetics and how they avoid inadvertent inbreeding. Both these topics are very briefly touched on in the novel I'm working on (currently called "The Kai'us Planet"), but obviously they're far too involved to go into in-depth in the book, so I'll post about them here.<br />
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This week's post will be about the complex clan system Kai'us' use to ensure couples aren't too closely related. It's not fool-proof though because people as close as second cousins would be able to marry, and sometimes people who we wouldn't consider even remotely related wouldn't be able to wed. Still, it certainly keeps siblings and first cousins away from each other at the very least.<br />
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Though the dynamics are there (and have been for years), there's certain details I'm still hammering out, like: should each race have 24, 32, or even 64 clans? How much bearing should a person's clans have on how they're viewed in society? Are there "good" clans and "bad" clans for instance? What should the clans be called?<br />
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I've thought of the Cave Kai'us clan names being after birds and things related to birds (they REALLY like birds!); Spider Kai'us' having insect and small, desert-dwelling creatures names; Mountain Kai'us' having names to do with stones, jewels, and metals; Winged Kai'us' after types of trees and plants; but that's a whole boat-load of vocab I've haven't even <i>begun </i>to hit on yet! (And that's just the Old Races!!)<br />
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So for the sake of argument, I'll do this break-down with just numbers (which is how I've been doing it thus far). Even with this simple labeling system though it's likely still going to get confusing, so I'll do my best to keep things simple.<br />
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Unfortunately it gets insane right out of the starting gate: each and every Kai'us is identified by four separate clans, and how they're ordered is slightly different depending on if you're a boy or a girl.<br />
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First I invite you to re-familiarize yourself with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punnett_square">Punnett Square</a> that you likely learned about in biology class concerning bean plants, fruit flies, and blood types. Though it'll relate more to my next post about Kai'us racial genetics, it's general principle will come in handy with the clan break-downs as well.<br />
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With that in mind, you get your first clan name from the parent who's the same gender as you.<br />
Your second clan name comes from the <i>first </i>clan of your opposite-gendered parent.<br />
You get your third clan and fourth clans from your grandparents (that part will be easier to show than tell).<br />
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Let's break it down from the beginning starting with the "first man" and the "first woman".<br />
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The colors are arbitrary by the way. I’m just using them to separate things out a little better visually (you’ll thank me in a moment).</div>
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The boy’s first clan is the same as his Dad’s.</div>
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The girl’s first clan is the same as her Mother’s.</div>
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And their second clan is the first clan of their other parent.</div>
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(Obviously for this example their parents only have one clan, but this will work even if there’s the normal four clans involved; we're starting out simple here.)</div>
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Now, these kids can’t hook up because they share clans. </div>
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Even if just one clan is shared between two people, they can’t get married.</div>
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Lucky for these kids, their parents had neighbors of completely different clans!</div>
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Now let’s see what happens when all these young people get married and have kids.</div>
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This chart is likely going to look like an overwhelming mess, so let’s take a looksie at just one grandbaby.</div>
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Following the numbers (and handy colors), you can see that this young man’s first clan is the first clan of his father and his paternal grand-father.</div>
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His second clan is his mother’s first clan as well as his maternal grand-mother.</div>
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His third clan is his father’s second clan, which is the first clan of his paternal grand-mother.</div>
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And his fourth clan is his Mom’s second clan, same as his maternal grand-father’s first clan.</div>
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If you scroll back up, you can see that his sister’s clans are the same as his, just reversed. </div>
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His cousins' clans are also the same, just flopped top to bottom </div>
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Now let’s go one more generation and see what happens.</div>
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As you can see, half of the clans get lost by the fourth generation, but the first clans of all the men carry through as do the first clans of all the women.</div>
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This is why it’s so important to Kai’us parents that they have at least one boy and one girl.</div>
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Boys carry on their father’s clans and girl’s carry on their mother’s lines.</div>
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Because the people living in a village can become very related very quickly, the clan system helps keep straight just who are cousins and who are a little too closely related for comfort. </div>
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To give young people more options in the potential mate department, groups of villages gather together once every four years or so in a great festival called, "<i>Keush-na-eekai</i>" which translates roughly to the "Gathering of Young People". Here eligible folks wear colored ribbons or beads to clearly display their clans. They show off their skills and talents in various games of skill involving archery, races, and the like; or they'll set up "booths" where they can show off their crafts in weaving or pottery-making, etc.</div>
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Obviously these games and displays aren't just limited to the unmarried; anyone is welcome to participate. These gatherings are an excellent opportunity to trade with others outside of one's home village and to see new techniques for making products and tools.</div>
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Village chiefs also have an opportunity at these festivals to discuss crops, births, deaths, and any problems they may have run into in the years between Gatherings. </div>
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There's music, singing, dancing and story telling in abundance at these multi-day events, and of course plenty of food.</div>
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If two people meet up who like each other, they'll spend time at the festival to get to know each other. It typically doesn't take long for Kai'us' to determine if they like a particular person or not due to their telepathy.</div>
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Matches are made purely at the young people's discretion; parents are rarely directly involved in who their children choose to marry. It's actually the villages chiefs (each village is run by a husband/wife pair) who make the ultimate decision if a potential match is a good one.</div>
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If the two young people are from different villages, the two sets of chiefs will sit down together and discuss what the young couple will contribute to the village they would live in and then determine which village needs those particular skills more. If both villages already have a glut of what the pair has to offer, they'd be encouraged to move to another village where they'd be more useful.</div>
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Either way, once married, a young person leaves their parents' house and moves in with their new spouse. When a person marries, they're considered part of the whole village rather than just their parents' families.</div>
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And so there's your glimpse into Kai'us clans and how they work.</div>
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Be sure to come back next time for an explanation of Kai'us racial genetics!</div>
kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-85215361238766371932016-06-30T13:13:00.000-07:002016-06-30T13:13:22.469-07:00Kai'us Creation Myth: The Second CataclysmAnd here is the final installment of the Kai'us creation myth.<br />
I hope you've enjoy this little glimpse into Kai'us culture!<br />
Head over <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/introduction-to-kaius-creation-myth.html">here for the intro</a> if you're just stumbling on this now.<br />
Then there's <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/kaius-creation-myth-cosmology.html">Part 1</a>, <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/kaius-creation-myth-first-death.html">Part 2</a> & <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/kaius-creation-myth-first-cataclysm.html">Part 3</a><br />
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To be honest, I can't say I'm 100% happy with how this section has turned out. Since it's the "end" of the creation myths, it's suffered the plight of being written down the least amount of times, so it's not as solid as I'd like; but I've noodled on it long enough and now it's time to shove it out into the daylight, come what may. <br />
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Something I <i>do </i>like about this part though is the nod to the past as far as Kai'us development is concerned. Back in grade school I had <i>tons </i>of Kai'us races (then called "breeds") and some were pretty ludicrous ("Princess Ciusses"? Really?) The events leading up to the Second Cataclysm let me hug those crazy races one last time (yes, even the Mermaid Ciusses), before wiping them off the face of the earth to make way for something a bit more realistic (as realistic as fanciful, horse-faced creatures can be anyway...) <br />
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One thing I've neglected to mention thus far is the word "Kai'us" means "Person". Hence why I never call them "The Kai'us People" (otherwise I'd be saying "The Person People"). That little piece of information will come in handy in this final section as you may have noticed: the Kai'us' actually haven't shown up yet in any of these creation myths!<br />
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The Kai'us Creation Myth: Part 4<br />
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Now there existed among the animals beings called "Creatures" who were more than animals but less than People. They spoke the language of the gods, but did not know how to read or write. They used simple tools and weapons but did not live in villages. They could hunt, but they did not yet know of agriculture.<br />
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There were far more varieties of Creatures than there are now People and they lived all over the world as best suited them. For instance the Ground Creatures lived underground; the Tree Creatures lived in the trees; the Winged Creatures lived in the air, and so on and so forth.<br />
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One day the Ground Creatures were conversing with the Water Creatures about how the gods interacted with them.<br />
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"The God of Creation has taught us how to move the very rocks to make spaces for us to live in," the Ground Creatures were saying. "And the God of Water has given you the ability to breathe both air and water."<br />
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"This is true," replied the Water Creatures. "But we are the only ones who can breathe underwater; and no other Creatures can move earth as you can. It is a shame such powerful abilities have been given to just one type of Creature or another."<br />
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"Yes, can you imagine how powerful we would be if all Creatures shared the powers of the rest?"<br />
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The Water Creatures were thoughtful, "We had asked the Goddess of Fire once to teach us to use fire in the way she has taught the Desert Creatures. She laughed and asked what use have we of fire?"<br />
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The Ground Creatures nodded, "And we have asked the Goddess of Life to teach us to heal as well as the Plains Creatures; but she would not. It seems obvious to us that the gods choose to give only small pieces of knowledge to each type of Creature so that one does not know all. Perhaps they fear how much power we would have if we all had the same knowledge."<br />
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"Perhaps we would be more powerful than the gods themselves!" the Water Creatures replied in agreement.<br />
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The two types of Creatures then tried to teach the other their own abilities but failed. No matter how hard they tried, the Ground Creatures could not learn how to breathe underwater; and despite their best efforts, the Water Creatures could now make the burrows and tunnels through rocks like the Ground Creatures could. <br />
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This failure enraged them both. "The gods have made it so only <i>they </i>can teach new skills! We must all gather together and demand the gods teach all creatures everything they know!"<br />
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So the Ground Creatures and the Water Creatures approached the other types of Creatures and told them of their plan.<br />
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The Tree Creatures were intrigued, but were dubious of the plan. Still they promised to tell the Winged Creatures since neither the Ground nor the Water Creature could reach them. The Winged Creatures turned down the plan outright. "We have the air and are therefore the closest to the gods. We have no desire to know anything else."<br />
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The Mountain, the Cave, the Plains, and the Desert Creatures were also completely against the plan. "The gods have given each type of Creature the abilities that best suit their purpose and inclination. Why should we have the abilities of all when there is no need for them?"<br />
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The Ground and Water Creature became increasingly angry as each type refused them. "Can you not see the gods keep our skills separate so we will remain weaker than they? We could be greater than the gods themselves if we all had each other's powers."<br />
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And so to prove their own power, the Ground Creatures heaved up the earth; leveling tall mountains and changing the lay of the land. The Water Creatures drained whole bodies of water and made them appear in other places. Out of spite they moved river beds away from choice places and gathered up all the dew that collected at night.<br />
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"All Creatures possess abilities just as powerful!" the Ground and Water Creatures declared to the others. "Join us in demanding that the gods teach us everyone's powers."<br />
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Instead of being awed, the other Creatures were frightened by the senseless destruction that had been wrought. The Mountain, Cave, Desert and Plains Creatures used their own abilities to protect themselves and the other animals rather than to strike out against the aggressors as it never occurred to them to bring harm to other Creatures.<br />
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The Tree Creatures on the other hand <i>were </i>impressed with the strength of the Ground and Water Creatures and they decided to join them. Their own powers were meager compared to their new allies however and they had little to offer them. The Goddess of Fire was the matron of the Tree Creatures though, so they would shoot off balls of fire at any Creatures or animals who tried to stop the Ground and Water Creatures from their demonstration of power.<br />
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The Winged Creatures completely ignored the suffering far below them. They were of the air and the actions of the land-bound Creatures was none of their concern.<br />
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The Ground and Water Creatures saw the Mountain Creatures diverting lava flows from where other Creatures and animals lived; they witnessed the Cave Creatures creating shelters for those who were frightened or who had lost their own dwelling places; saw the Desert Creatures finding water in the bleakest, most barren places so that others may drink; and the Plains Creatures producing healing medicines for those injured in the great earthquakes caused by the angry Ground Creatures.<br />
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These acts only enraged the usurpers more. Could they not see they were squandering their single abilities and if they just worked together against the gods then none of this suffering would be necessary?<br />
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In their rage, the Ground Creatures lost all sense of reason. They gathered together all their powers to one purpose and caused the very earth to swallow up the Plains Creatures, killing each and every one of them.<br />
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All the Creatures and animals were shocked by what the Ground Creatures
had done. Even the Water and Tree Creatures were appalled by this
willful act.<br />
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The gods living on Shuko had observed all that was transpiring on the world below. They allowed events to run their course to test the mettle of the Creatures they had loved and nurtured. But with this last act of destruction, the gods could no longer passively sit back and watch, they mobilized and took immediate action.<br />
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The Ground Creatures hardly had time to gloat over their display of force, for they were smote at once from the face of the earth for the wickedness. Not a single one escaped the wrath of the gods. Then the gods gathered all the water left in the world into one place and turned it bitter, killing all the Water Creatures. (This was the creation of the world's single ocean.)<br />
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The Tree Creatures begged forgiveness, saying the uprising had not been their idea and they had simply been coerced into joining with the Ground and Water Creatures. The gods held back their anger against the Tree Creatures and instead turned them into <i>mova </i>(a type of small, tree-dwelling animal), declaring they would forever be animals living among animals.<br />
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After the world had time to settle and heal from the corruptions of the Ground and Water Creatures, the gods turned to the remaining Creatures.<br />
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"Winged Creatures," the gods said. "Out of your arrogance, you sided with neither the destroyers nor the protectors of the world. For that you shall learn humility. You will become People, but you will be larger than you are now, unable to to live solely in the air. You will tire if you fly for too long and will need to touch the ground and hopefully will learn that the suffering of others should also be your own concern."<br />
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The Winged Creatures sadly accepted their lot and settled in the thick forests of the south, away from the other Creatures. They eventually became the Winged People of today; aloof and still arrogant, but willing to help those who ask.<br />
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Then the gods gathered the Mountain, Cave, and Desert Creatures around them.<br />
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"All of you showed great bravery in the face of horrible destruction and loss. All of you will become People."<br />
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The gods taught them how to build houses and grow crops. They gave them written language, numbers and math. The gods opened their mind so they could speak as readily with their thoughts as with their voices. The new Peoples were taught how create fire and move things with just their minds. They were shown how to make more efficient tools and hunting implements; how to tan animal hides and weave colorful fabric. <br />
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From eating better foods and no longer needing to move from place to place, the People became larger than when they were Creatures. They stood tall, yet they continued to care for all animals even though as People were even greater than them.<br />
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The God of Creation had always enjoyed the company of the Mountain Creatures and he continued to teach them his wisdom. As People they became great story tellers and users of metal. They learned to build their homes with stacked stones in a way that was stable even when the earth occasionally trembled, and kept them warm when the nights were cold and windy.<br />
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The Goddess of Life looked after the Winged People. Though they were saddened by the ruling of the gods, they were happy to be made People. The Goddess of Life taught them how to make medicines from the trees and plants they lived among as well as from various animal parts. She also taught them poetry and great songs. They became the best makers of musical instruments.<br />
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The Goddess of Fire looked fondly upon the Desert Creatures. From her teachings, they lived happily in the dry deserts where few other animals cared to dwell. Because life in the harsh desert was difficult, she gifted the Desert Creatures with another set of hands; making them the Spider People. She taught them how to make bricks for building homes and how to glaze and fire clay to make light and durable vessels for storing food and water.<br />
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The God of Water took the Cave Creatures under his care. He showed them how to live on the plains where the Plains Creatures had once inhabited. They learned how to build houses with thatched roof so birds could live among them and offer their teachings as well. When he asked what they wanted to be called as People they said that though they would no longer live in caves, they would be called the Cave People to remind them of their humble beginnings when they shared their cave homes with other animals during the devastation wrought by the Ground and Water Creatures.<br />
<br />
And so the remaining Creatures became People and the world recovered from the Second Cataclysm.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
And thus concludes the Kai'us creation myth.<br />
<br />
Happily I'm on a roll and will be returning next month with more fun information concerning Kai'us clan structure and racial genetics. Hope to see you then! kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-31319782651389923532016-06-24T10:09:00.002-07:002016-06-30T19:34:21.734-07:00Kai'us Creation Myth: The First CataclysmHere's Part 3 of a series I'm posting weekly this month pertaining to the Kai'us creation myths.<br />
Introduction is found <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/introduction-to-kaius-creation-myth.html">here</a>.<br />
Part 1 can be read <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/kaius-creation-myth-cosmology.html">here</a>.<br />
And Part 2 is <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/kaius-creation-myth-first-death.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
This section of the creation myth introduces a major mainstay of Kai'us culture: The Moon Path. <br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
The Kai'us Creation Myth: Part 3 <br />
<br />
All the animals of the world had now been spit into male and female and new animals were created from their joinings. The God of Death removed the souls of those whose forms were too weak to live on or those who were eaten by other animals. The Goddess of Children would then guide the waiting souls to new forms to live again; or, if there were not enough waiting souls of a particular animal, she would call a new soul from The Void. Thus the population of the world steadily increased.<br />
<br />
Over time however as there became even more animals, it was harder and harder for the God of Death to collect the souls of the dead. Souls started to get lost, trapped on the ground to fester and cause illness among the living.<br />
<br />
It also became harder for the Goddess of Children to keep soul-pairs together. The souls of the first animals were once a genderless whole after all, and it was only fair that those split pairs find each other again in their next life. Offspring made from mismatched pairs were often weaker than those who had once been the same soul. She also sometimes had difficulty pairing up the right souls to the right forms. If a soul ended up in the body of an animal it had never been before it would cause an ill-fit and deformities.<br />
<br />
Another problem arose from the fact that every soul held all the memories of their past experiences. If a previous death had not been pleasant, those bad memories would linger; this became another reason that deformities arose.<br />
<br />
Drawing on all their past memories, older souls felt they were superior to the newer ones as they had known what it was like to live as whole beings, before there was male and female. They lorded over the newer souls and treated them as inferior, causing jealousy and anger despite the fact the new souls had not chosen to be called from The Void.<br />
<br />
Great misery arose as the world itself became scarred and poisons from all this suffering. The ground itself heaved and waterways changed their courses to get away from painful places. The great mountains burst forth with fire and ash, choking the very air. Plants and animals withered and died for no apparent reason. Something needed to be done.<br />
<br />
All the gods gathered together to discuss a remedy. There needed to be a place for souls to gather when they left their bodies as there were now far too many for the God of Death to personally handle. Souls needed to be purged of the pains and anguishes of their previous existence. Though the gods felt it was important that, say a deer-soul always be born as a deer, there also needed to be a way for it to be safely born into a different animal form if there was more need for another animal. Soul-pairs could also not always be born near enough to each other to become mates; but offspring shouldn't have to suffer from mismatched soul-pairs.<br />
<br />
To answer these quandaries, the God of Creation formed three discs which he placed in the sky. The Goddess of Life touched each disc to give them light and life. The first disc was a beautiful, rich green. This disc would serve as a beacon for souls newly departed from their bodies. It was lush with good foods that would draw the soul and give it a safe place to linger until the God of Death could help it along its way. This disc became known as "Pako", or "Green Moon"<br />
<br />
The second disc was filled with a special water which would make a soul who drank from it forget all their past pains and experiences. This disc was "Nuko": "Blue Moon".<br />
<br />
The third disc was the largest and red. Fires burned across its surface. On this disc, a soul could be reforged to undo any damage it may have accumulated in its past existence, or prepare it to live within a new animal form. Soul-bonds between those who had originally existed as one being weren't necessarily destroyed, but they were weakened enough so new, healthy matches could take place.<br />
<br />
Because the gods found the third disc to be the most beautiful, for the fires could be clearly seen even during the light of day, they chose this one to live on. It was named "Shuko", or "Red Moon".<br />
<br />
Once a soul was ready to be reborn into a new form, the Goddess of Children could lead it back to Nuko where it could drink more of the waters that would help it sleep while its new body formed. She would then lead it to Pako where it could eat its fill once more. This time the food would sustain the soul until it was born in its next body and able to eat physical food again. Lastly she would lead it to its new body still forming in a stone or inside the body of its next mother.<br />
<br />
In this way the Moon Path was established to guide souls from death to rebirth.<br />
<br />
A problem quickly arose though as the light of the moons was blocked when souls gathered on each of the moons. With a moon's light obscured, newly released souls could not find their next step along the Moon Path. Also during the day the bright light of the sun would easily drown out the light of the green and blue moons, also making them hard to find.<br />
<br />
The God of Death and Goddess of Children had to be careful that a soul did not linger on any of the moons longer than a few days to keep the cycles of light and dark balanced.<br />
<br />
To help souls whose bodies died during the day, the God of Death took a little water from Nuko and mixed it with the rain brought by the God of Water. The moon-water would release any souls that got lost or were trapped on the ground. The mist the rises after a rain is the souls of trapped animals lifting up into the sky.<br />
<br />
The God of Death and the Goddess of Children worked together to create rainbows that would guide souls newly-released by a rain into the sky. A rainbow could also be used by souls waiting to be reborn to find the ground again and their new existence.<br />
<br />
Through these measures tortured souls could now find healing and peace, and as a result the world itself could heal and settle again. Mountains went back to sleep, the rivers stayed within their banks and the ground stopped its roiling and churning. And so the First Cataclysm ended.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
Side note on Kai'us culture: it's considered bad luck to die when the Green Moon, Pako is New. Even a tiny crescent is preferable since it's believed the soul will more easily get lost and/or trapped when the moon isn't visible at all.<br />
<br />
Same holds true with births. Kai'us women though have a bit more control than human moms as to when their child is born, so it's easier for them to speed up or delay the birth until the moon is in a more auspicious phase.<br />
<br />
Dying or being born during a rainstorm though is the most auspicious (no matter the moon phase; but the more Full the better!). Of course that's also incredibly rare.<br />
<br />
Next week will be <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/kaius-creation-myth-second-cataclysm.html">Part 4: The Second Cataclysm</a>. kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-22512354608170136542016-06-16T10:09:00.000-07:002016-06-30T19:35:01.598-07:00Kai'us Creation Myth: The First DeathNow onto Part 2 of the Kai'us creation myth.<br />
Head over <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/kaius-creation-myth-cosmology.html">here for Part 1</a> if you haven't read it yet.<br />
And <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/introduction-to-kaius-creation-myth.html">here</a> for a not-so-brief explanation of what this is all about.<br />
<br />
I should probably note that these myths don't reflect my personal views on things. They're just the fictional tales of a fictional culture. <br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
The Kai'us Creation Myth: Part 2 <br />
<br />
The God of Creation and the Goddess of Life had created the world; and their oldest children, the Goddess of Fire and God of Water had created the means of keeping the world alive.<br />
<br />
Now the First Pair wanted their four youngest children to have tasks as well, so they set about creating numerous plants and animals. Tall, tall trees all the way down to tiny, scraggly shrubs. Some with beautiful blossoms and scents, others with no flowers at all. Some flowers bloomed all by themselves between rocks or straight out of otherwise barren soil. Every color imaginable was crafted into leaves and petals for the enjoyment of all.<br />
<br />
The God of Creation particularly liked to make animals though. He formed so many in every conceivable shape and purpose. The Goddess of Life would then breathe a soul into each animal, calling it straight from The Void.<br />
<br />
They placed small, scurrying animals among the trees and shrubs; birds they gave to the air; lizards, insects and snakes to the ground; fish to the waterways; deer and antelope to the plains; as well as many other living, breathing creatures.<br />
<br />
The four youngest children were indeed enthralled by these multitudes of creation. They spent a great deal of time among all the plants and animals, teaching those who were interested the wisdom of their great parents.<br />
<br />
Now it came to pass that the <i>geegaw </i>(a type of large, saber-toothed feline) felt that it was not getting its fair share of attention from the four god-children. Because the gods particularly liked to spend time with the birds and other flighted creatures, they must possess some quality the <i>geegaw </i>lacked. It concluded that if it ate a bird, then it would take on the bird's qualities and then surely the gods would like it more.<br />
<br />
Carefully the <i>geegaw </i>selected and stalked its prey: a particularly beautiful bird; just the right size to fit in its mouth. When the time was right, the <i>geegaw </i>sprang upon it and took it into its mouth, crushing its delicate body with its teeth.<br />
<br />
The bird cried out in surprise and pain so loudly that it was heard throughout the whole world and the gods as well as every creature stopped to listen to the wretched cry, not knowing at first what it could be.<br />
<br />
Alarmed, and instantly ashamed, the <i>geegaw </i>spat out the bird. It flopped about on the ground, unable now to fly, continuing to cry out in unspeakable pain.<br />
<br />
The Second Son could not bear to hear the poor bird's suffering and he touched the bird in a way that separated its soul--which was not in pain--from the mangled body that was. In this act he became the God of Death.<br />
<br />
The other gods gathered around the cringing <i>geegaw </i>asking, "What have you done?"<br />
<br />
"I felt you loved the bird more than me," the <i>geegaw </i>replied miserably. "I thought if I ate it, you would love me as much."<br />
<br />
"How can you ever know how much we love any of our creation? But if you feel that you are unloved then leave us and know what it is to truly be without love."<br />
<br />
And so the <i>geegaw </i>left in great shame, the other animals drawing away from it, appalled by it's selfish act.<br />
<br />
The gods then turned their attention to the bird-soul, still being protectively held by the God of Death.<br />
<br />
"And what are we to do with you?"<br />
<br />
"I would like my body back," the bird replied. "For I miss my friends and being able to soar through the sky with them."<br />
<br />
"Unfortunately your body was destroyed by an act not of our doing. We do not have the power to heal it."<br />
<br />
"May I have a new body then please?"<br />
<br />
The God of Creation and Goddess of Life conferred with each other, but it was concluded a new body could not be made by them, for a new soul from The Void would fill the fresh form instead of the existing bird-soul.<br />
<br />
The Second Daughter offered a suggestion: if another bird were split into male and female as the gods themselves were, they could call to the lost bird's soul when they joined together as her parents had done and since they weren't uniting within The Void, a new soul would not dwell in the body created from their joining.<br />
<br />
The First Pair agreed that would likely work, but the gods had come into being straight from The Void as male and female and were therefore immortal in both body and soul. The souls of the animals came from The Void and were immortal as well, but their bodies had been formed outside of The Void. If a bird were split into two genders, its soul would have to be split as well thus weakening the form and the two would eventually die.<br />
<br />
Still, the bird-soul yearned for the companionship of its friends and the other birds as well missed its presence; so a bird volunteered to be split into male and female so it could create a new body for the bird-soul to inhabit.<br />
<br />
The Second Daughter therefore touched the bird in a way that separated its form into male and female. She then taught to two new birds how to join their bodies back together again as her parents had done. In doing so she became the Goddess of Children.<br />
<br />
The birds were disappointed though when all that was produced from their joining was a stone.<br />
<br />
The Goddess of Children explained that a new body was forming within the stone that would reflect the soul that was to inhabit it. They had to call to their friend through the stone and treat the stone as though their friend was already among them; this way the soul could join with the new body. So the bird-parents sat with the stone and spoke with the stone as though it were their friend. The bird-soul settled into the stone, listening to its friends and dreamed of its new body.<br />
<br />
At last the stone burst open and the bird was reborn into a newly-formed body.<br />
<br />
The birds and all the other animals rejoiced.<br />
<br />
The bird parents asked what would happen to them when their gendered-bodies became too weak to hold their own souls. Who would create stones for them to grow new bodies inside?<br />
<br />
The reborn bird instantly volunteered to take on the task. Then the question was raised as to what would happen if a stone were produced if their wasn't a soul waiting to fill it.<br />
<br />
The Goddess of Children explained that she would watch all stones made from joinings and she would personally make sure a new soul was called from The Void.<br />
<br />
At this, many other birds asked to be split into male and female. Despite the fact that they knew they would eventually die, to have the opportunity to join as the First Pair had done and produce new life from nothing was far too compelling. And so the Goddess of Children split all who asked.<br />
<br />
Alas the bodies of the newly split birds weakened far sooner than they had expected. They could produce only one stone before they were too weak for anything else.<br />
<br />
Though they had accepted this choice, they still asked if there was anyway they could stay with their bodies a little longer before going with the God of Death to await a new body. <br />
<br />
The plants, who had observed all that had transpired and had great compassion for their plight, took pity on the birds and offered their own bodies to give the birds strength.<br />
<br />
The Third Daughter was greatly moved by the plants' sacrifice and offered an alternative rather than giving their whole bodies. "What if you gave only a part of yourself?" she asked. "A part you grew solely for the purpose of sustaining others. That way your own existence wouldn't end."<br />
<br />
The plants were delighted by this compromise and the Third Daughter touched all the plants who offered themselves as food and they produced seeds and fruits for the birds to eat. In doing this she became the Goddess of Plants. Now the gendered birds could enjoy existence far longer before weakening. When it was time to surrender their bodies and go with the God of Death, they did so willingly.<br />
<br />
Eventually other animals became curious and asked if they could be split as well. All requested were granted.<br />
<br />
Many of the smaller creatures produced stones as the birds did when they joined together, but the bigger animals were large enough to grow a new body within their own. This allowed them to continue to move around and do things without putting all their focus on the new life being created.<br />
<br />
As larger and larger animals requested to be split into male and female though, it was found that their larger bodies could not be as easily sustained by the seeds and fruits offered by the plants. They worried that their lives would be unduly shortened for lack of food.<br />
<br />
Some of the smaller animals wondered if they should offer their bodies as the plants had done, but what could they grow that others could eat without bringing harm to themselves?<br />
<br />
The Third Son greatly respected the choice of the smaller animals and said, "No, you can not grow a part of yourself that can be easily sacrificed; if you offer yourselves, it will have to be your whole body. But worry not, for I will make you swift and strong. I will teach you how to hide from those who would eat you. I will make your young able to run from birth or I will ensure you produce multiple young so that some may live even when others are eaten. I will give you defenses to remind those who would eat you that your sacrifice is a gift and a choice on your part. I will make sure the fastest and cleverest of you will survive."<br />
<br />
In taking on this duty he became the God of Animals and he taught both predator and prey how to live with honor and respect for all so that all may live.<br />
<br />
On and on, more animals became split into pairs. Even the villainous <i>geegaw</i>--one of the last--eventually came forward, begging forgiveness and asking to be split into male and female as well.<br />
<br />
And so through one act of selfishness, death and rebirth came to the World and all the gods were given names and tasks to perform.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
Side note on Kai'us culture: all races hold birds in high esteem. Because they believe birds were the first to suffer the pain of death, it's forbidden to hunt or kill birds. Because birds were the first to experience the joys of creating new life, it's also forbidden to eat or harm eggs or nests. Birds are believed to be beloved of the gods so their presence in a village is considered a good omen.<br />
<br />
Next week will be <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/kaius-creation-myth-first-cataclysm.html">Part 3: The First Cataclysm</a>.kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-74915994577445120972016-06-10T11:32:00.000-07:002016-06-30T19:35:53.060-07:00Kai'us Creation Myth: Cosmology<br />
This is Part 1 of a series that I'll be posting installments of once a week this month.<br />
Hop <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/introduction-to-kaius-creation-myth.html">over here</a> for the introduction to all this.<br />
<br />
Before we begin, I thought I'd give a brief explanation on Kai'us storytelling methods as these tales aren't going to be presented in way a Kai'us would be familiar with. Storytelling in Kai'us society is a call-and-response, group
participation type deal. There's lots of back and forth that would be
tiring to a non-Kai'us audience. A big thing I'm leaving out is the vocab lesson: "And the male being called the female being, 'Wife'. And the female being called the male being, 'Husband'. And they called the two new beings 'Children'; the male they called 'Son', the female they called 'Daughter'." And so on. Maybe someday I'll put together a version that's closer to the Kai'us style of storytelling, but this version will be easier for humans to read. <br />
<br />
As with any Old Tales, a lot about the originating culture can be gleaned from how they believe their world was created, so though I'd love to fill in cultural backstory, I think I'll just let the story speak for itself. <br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
The Kai'us Creation Myth: Part 1<br />
<br />
Before there was anything, there existed nothing but The Void. From The Void emerged two beings; one male, one female. They could not see each other for all was still in darkness; nor could they communicate with one another as language had not yet come into being. Despite this, each knew of the other's presence and they were intrigued by the other being they co-existed with.<br />
<br />
For a very long time the two existed like this and they became increasingly interested in knowing more about the other. Words filled the male's heart that he wished to express, but he had no way to arrange those words coherently. The female was filled with song, but she too could not bring it forth in any way that had meaning.<br />
<br />
An idea came upon the male, and using his own powers he formed thousands of small stones, one for each word that lived within him. These he presented to the female as a gift. Intrigued by the gift, she touched the stones each in turn and the music that lived within her filled each stone with light. The lighting of the stones was her gift to him. These stones became the stars and the two arranged them in a way that was pleasing to them.<br />
<br />
In the soft light of the stars the First Two could at last behold each other and they fell deeply in love. They joined together and the two became one. In this union they return for a brief moment to the blissful nothingness of The Void. The words of the male joined with the music of the female and language came into being from their joining. <br />
<br />
When the joined pair separated, two new beings emerged from The Void with them; another male and another female. The First Two were thrilled with their new children and they taught them the language that had been created from their joining.<br />
<br />
The four beings existed happily for a long time, but after a while the Husband and Wife wished again to experience the oneness of The Void and so they joined together again; and again another new male and another new female emerged with them. This time poetry came into being, which the Parents taught to their four children and the six beings were all happy together.<br />
<br />
Once last time The First Two joined together and another son and another daughter came into being. Lastly came song which was also shared among all of them. Now they were eight and the Husband and Wife were content.<br />
<br />
Through the First Two, six new beings had come into existence as well as language, poetry and song. Now they felt it was time for their children to express their own abilities and so they embarked on a great undertaking.<br />
<br />
The Father formed a Great Disc of rock and soil. From this act he became known as the God of Creation. The Mother touched the Disc and it turned green, full of life and water. This made her the Goddess of Life.<br />
<br />
However the light of the stars was not enough to sustain the new world. Seeing that the world needed both greater light and warmth, the Oldest Daughter formed a great ball of fire and held it over the world. In doing so she became the Goddess of Fire and the ball of fire became known as the Sun.<br />
<br />
Holding the sun in one place over the world however posed several problems: the parts directly under the sun became too hot and scorched while the parts farther away cooled too much and withered. Plus it was very tiring for her to hold the sun up over the world.<br />
<br />
He twin brother had great compassion for her plight and so he took a great deal of water from the world and placed it above it, resting it on the mountains at the edge of the world. This formed the Sky, making him the God of Water.<br />
<br />
Now his sister could place the ball of fire in the sky and float the sun across it, thus providing light and warmth to the whole world evenly. When the sun reached the other side of the sky it was put out and the world could rest in the cool light of the stars until the Goddess of Fire lit it again the next day.<br />
<br />
Now there was balance between Day and Night, but the God of Water had taken too much water from the world and it started to dry up. If he returned too much of it though, the sky would surely collapse and all the work of his sister and himself would be undone.<br />
<br />
Instead the God of Water watched over the world and when he found a part that was too dry, he would poke small holes in the sky, bringing rain to just that place. In doing so he was able to keep just enough water in the world so that it could continue to grow and flourish.<br />
<br />
Now the Goddess of Fire and the God of Water loved each other has purely and as deeply as two siblings can and the separation brought on by their duties caused their hearts to ache for each other. The Goddess of Fire had to carefully watch the progress of the sun across the sky lest it wander too far in one direction or another, or go too fast or too slow. And the God of Water had to be ever vigilant over the world below lest too little rain fall where it was needed. Even at night they could not be together for though the Goddess of Fire did not need to tend the sun, her brother was busy delivering dew to the world to bring just a little more water even when he could not bring rain.<br />
<br />
Their parents took pity on their oldest children and gave to them each cloaks made of clouds. The Second Pair were ecstatic. Whenever the God of Water brought rain to a part of the world, the brother and sister could cover the sky with their cloaks of clouds. With the sun covered, the Goddess of Fire did not need to watch it as closely and she could spend some time with her beloved brother, no matter how brief that time may be.<br />
<br />
The two could race their <i>guwana </i>(a type of beast of burden) across the sky. The sound of their running feet was what created the sound of thunder. When one sibling or the other reined in their beast, the impatient <i>guwana </i>would flick its tail, creating a streak of lightning.<br />
<br />
And so the First Pair created the world and gave it life and the Second Pair created the means of sustaining it.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
Come back next week for <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/kaius-creation-myth-first-death.html">Part 2</a> to see what the Third and Fourth Pairs end up doing.kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-17996832057583601072016-06-03T09:30:00.000-07:002016-07-20T16:45:11.800-07:00Introduction to the Kai'us Creation MythI first came up with the <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2014/03/whats-in-name.html">Kai'us</a>' when I was about 10 years old. They've been part of my life ever since. When I show people pictures I drew as an adult or explain parts of Kai'us culture they ask in amazement, "You came up with all that when you were ten?!"<br />
<br />
The simple answer is no.<br />
<br />
Kai'us' have grown up with me. Though their general appearance and the main themes of their society haven't changed much in all that time, they have matured and become more "realistic" and well-rounded. Nearly all my interests and things I do have something to do with development if Kai'us culture. It's my semi-closet obsession.<br />
<br />
There's a lot to their culture that lives solely in my head. Though I have endless drawings as well as notebooks upon notebooks of story chucks and numerous drafts of a first Kai'us novel (called "The Kai'us Planet"), as well as a website to try to document all this (no, I'm not sharing the link; the website is awful), it still only scratches the surface of what lives in the three or so pounds of grey matter chilling in my skull.<br />
<br />
Because I'm dragging my feet on getting the novel finished, I thought I'd share some non-spoiler stuff here to get more Kai'us-related things out in the the world and hopefully inspire people to relentlessly badger me to keep working on the book. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting bits and pieces of the Kai'us creation myths.<br />
<br />
Okay, so first and foremost: what the heck is a Kai'us anyway?<br />
<br />
A Kai'us is a humanoid being with a horse-like head. Their eyes face forward though and their muzzle is significantly shorter than a horse's. Their teeth are those of an omnivore (more so than humans). They have four digits on each hand - three fingers and a thumb. Their feet are blunt with four, stubby toes; the two center toes are larger than the two outer ones. They have a long tail with a tuft of hair at the end the same color as their mane. Their skin is dark grey typically, but they're covered in short, white fur. Because they're fur-covered, Kai'us' don't wear clothing; though those who live in colder regions will wear a belted poncho for warmth. They do like to decorate themselves though with creative braids, bracelets, necklaces, arm cuffs, etc. Typically any body and mane decorations show social status and/or one's trade.<br />
<br />
Kai'us reproductive organs are all internal (even for the guys), and there's very little sexual dimorphism between genders; though males have thicker tails with more blood vessels (to keep those internal testes cool). Females have slightly wider hips than males, though their waists aren't nearly as narrow as human females. Females' breasts <i>do </i>swell when they're nursing, but any other time they look fairly androgynous.<br />
<br />
There's eight different Kai'us races with their own physical characteristics that set them apart. For instance, <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/art/Kung-Fu-Kius-130497566">Spider Kai'us'</a> have four arms; they're also the tallest race, topping out at about six feet when full-grown. Winged Kai'us' are the smallest, barely breaking 4 and a half feet. They have (you guesses it!) wings. Think more bat-like than bird-like.<br />
<br />
The different races can (kind of) interbreed, but in general it's rare since they tend to stick to their own kind. The genetics involved are fairly simple, but that's the stuff of <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/07/kaius-racial-genetics.html">another post</a>. One race though: the Ka-Kiu (also called the People of the Whole) are actually not a genetically unique race, but rather any race can become Ka-Kiu by receiving a special mark (it's more complicated than that, but again that's a whole other write-up). The Ka-Kiu encourage intermarrying between races who join them so there's far more hybridization among them than any other race. Children born to Ka-Kiu parents though are without a doubt Ka-Kiu even without the mark (they receive that as part of their coming of age ceremony); therefore Ka-Kiu are indeed their own race.<br />
<br />
Kai'us' range all over their planet, though each race lives in a specific region. The planet itself is far more dry than Earth - there's only one ocean that takes up about 35% of the planet's surface. The ocean and the rivers feeding it, as well as a vast mountain range that spans from one pole to the other located on the other side of the world from the ocean, splits the planet into four main regions that I call "Territories". The Spider, Cave and Ka-Kiu all live in the North-West Territory. The Winged live in the rain forests of the South-West Territory. The Crystal Kai'us' live along the ocean's coast in the South-East Territory. The Snake and Deer live in the North-East Territory. Lastly the Mountain Kai'us' live in, well, the mountains.<br />
<br />
Though the Kai'us' within a particular region will have contact and trade with each other, there's very little contact (or sometimes even knowledge of) the other races outside of their part of the world, save for the Mountain Kai'us' who trade with everyone (except the Ka-Kiu <- no one likes them).<br />
<br />
On the whole Kai'us' are a peaceful people. They're highly adaptable and readily adjust to whatever environment they settle in. If an area is lacking in necessary resources they'll either move somewhere more plentiful or trade for what they need. <br />
<br />
Across the board Kai'us technology is around the late Stone Age, though some races dabble a little with metal. Most races have agriculture and live in villages of 75-150 individuals. Deer Kai'us' are the least advanced though and live simple, nomadic lives. They tend to live in much smaller groups. Mountain Kai'us' are semi-nomadic due to the seasonal changes where they live. <br />
<br />
Many races live among <a href="http://kiuslady.deviantart.com/art/Kius-Girl-83238727">semi-domesticated animals</a> which are used for championship, pest-control, protection, beasts of burden, or travel. No animals are penned or captured for these purposes and they don't deliberately breed animals. All animals who live near Kai'us' or interact with them do so of their own volition. Meat and animal products are acquired exclusively through hunting and any prey animals that are felled in that process are greatly respected.<br />
<br />
Despite their relative low technological status, Kai'us' have advanced metal abilities: telepathy, telekinesis and pyrokinesis. Their telepathic abilities more or less function similar to a walkie-talkie. One "tunes in" to the person they wish to communicate with. Physical contact strengths the "signal", distance weakens it. Though telepathy is developed in the womb, telekinesis and pyrokinesis must be learned, usually at around seven to ten years old.<br />
<br />
Telepathy is a very important aspect of Kai'us life. Mates join together mentally and that's what triggers full sexual maturity. A person who's "mentally deaf" (unable to send or receive telepathic signals) is often shunned and not considered trustworthy.<br />
<br />
Despite the fact that telepathic communication with those of other races is difficult, all Kai'us' share a subconscious telepathic bond that keeps their language and culture fairly consistent even with races on opposite sides of planet. Though there are certainly racial and regional dialects that can sometimes make verbal communication difficult. (Okay, it makes my life easier not having to track a bunch of different languages and writing systems!)<br />
<br />
So that's the general gist of things without being too overwhelming (believe me, I can go on and on and on!). Before I dive into the actual creation myth (which will be next week's post), I wanted to also talk about "time" and "place" as it can get confusing when I talk to people about Kai'us'.<br />
<br />
There's literally <i>centuries </i>of Kai'us history that I play in. I break time up on the Kai'us planet into four categories:<br />
1) Old Tales<br />
The stories I'll be posting in the coming weeks fall into this category.<br />
These are ancient tales that have been passed down orally through the millennia. Though most Kai'us races to have both writing and math, these tales aren't typically written down as everyone knows them. They originate "before time" and are therefore timeless. They encompass the creation of the world and the first two Cataclysms.<br />
<br />
2) Between the Second and Third Cataclysms<br />
I consider this time to be Kai'us "prehistory". The planet the Kai'us' live on goes through periods of great geological instability every few million years. During that time the genetic structure of most creatures (not just Kai'us') becomes incredibly unstable and mutations reign supreme. As the world settles, so does everyone's DNA. The mutations best suited to survive in the new environment get to continue on, becoming increasingly stable. Once the dust settled from the Second Cataclysm and Kai'us' settled down into their current seven (later, eight) races, not much of note really happens. Kai'us society grows and develops as cultures of fresh, young sentient races do. I don't deal too much with this time in Kai'us history. It's just not terribly interesting as there's no wars or conquests to speak of; no subjugated people; no great tales of forbidden love. <br />
<br />
3) The Third Cataclysm onward<br />
This is where Kai'us history starts in my opinion. The Third Cataclysm isn't a geological event for a change, but rather an ideological one. This is when the Ka-Kiu come into being (they're a <i>very </i>new race). As a result of their creation, the first Grand Chief also comes into being. This is a really big deal in Kai'us history, affecting nearly every race on the planet. Marking time from this point on is easy: the Grand Chief holds their station for 100 years, at which time they pass their power and position off to their successor (it's okay that this doesn't make much sense, I'm being vague on purpose here).<br />
<br />
4) "Modern History"<br />
This is where "The Kai'us Planet" takes place. The eleventh Grand Chief is nearing the end of his "reign" at the start of the story and the twelfth Grand Chief is installed by the end. This period also encompasses all time and events after the book.<br />
<br />
Now onto "place". The North-West Territory is the approximate origin of the Kai'us species and is where all the "Old" races come from. As mentioned earlier, this is where the Spider, Cave and Ka-Kiu presently live. This is important because, like I said before, not all races know about the others. In fact only the Grand Chief (who's a Spider Kai'us) and most of the Mountain Kai'us' know of the existence of <i>all </i>the races (they're also the only ones who know the world is round). Apart from the Ka-Kiu, all the "New" races live on the other side of the world. These tales are from the perspective of the "Old" races and don't mention the "New" races at all. The "New" races have very similar tales with slight variations that take into account vast migrations that don't affect the "Old" races at all.<br />
<br />
Numbers are important to the Old races and knowing how all the races are numbered is important in understanding Kai'us mythology (the New races don't get as hung up on such things as their cultures are younger). Two, four, eight and sixteen are considered "good" numbers. Five is the worst number out there. The four Old races are associated with elements that also correlate with the first four gods (there's eight gods total by the way).<br />
<br />
The Kia'us races by the numbers start with the Old races:<br />
1) The Mountain (Earth)<br />
2) The Winged (Air)<br />
3) The Spider (Fire)<br />
4) The Cave (Water)<br />
<br />
The New races are: <br />
5) The Ka-Kiu<br />
6) The Crystal<br />
7) The Snake<br />
8) The Deer<br />
<br />
The the Ka-Kiu are hands down the youngest race by a few hundred-thousand years, but they're always stuck in fifth place just to show how much everyone else doesn't like them (poor new kids; well they earned their place). <br />
<br />
Next post will kick things off with the <a href="http://gwensworlds.blogspot.com/2016/06/kaius-creation-myth-cosmology.html">1st part of the creation myth</a>.kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-33885251883856013422016-04-11T13:49:00.000-07:002016-04-13T09:28:18.842-07:00Lets Talk About Star WarsIt's hard to explain or even quantify the incredible impact that Star Wars has had on my life. From the day Dad recorded the 10th anniversary airing of it off the TV in 1987 I've been hooked.<br />
<br />
Before the movie came on there had been an anniversary special hosted by Mark Hamill that went into the affect Star Wars had had on American culture over the past decade. I'd watch it and rewatch it, along with the movie, transfixed as to how such a thing could have so much power over so many people. How one movie could shape a whole culture.<br />
<br />
As The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) were released to video, they were added to our ever-growing movie collection to be watched over and over again as well. My love for the original trilogy bordered on religious fanaticism. I wasn't interested in collecting the figures or posters or anything like that; it was ideals that drew me in. The forces of good battling against a horrible evil, and not always with clean-cut success. The princess had wit and nerve, the heroes had flaws, the formidable villain had a heart in the very end.<br />
<br />
All of that was compelling, but it was the calm and wise Jedi who were the role-models for my growing years. Them and the ever-stoic Vulcans from Star Trek (yes, I love both fandoms). I was prone to emotional outbursts as a child, and both the Jedi's and Vulcan's unruffled demeanor showed me how to remain calm is trying situations (not that I was terribly successful, but it was something to shoot for!)<br />
<br />
I started reading the Expanded Universe novels in my mid-teens. Though some were better than others, they at least gave me more Star Wars and I was eternally grateful.<br />
<br />
The Phantom Menace (1999) came out while I was in college. <br />
More Star Wars!!<br />
Watch the movie Fanboys (2009) if you want to remember the hope and anticipation leading up to the release of Episode I. I played hooky from school the day it came out. I was fourth in line for tickets and first in line for the actual movie. I'd waited my whole life to see a new Star Wars movie in the theater! I will admit I saw it several times on the big screen and watched it several more times on DVD, but with it's Jar Jar, midi-chlorians, and stiff acting, it didn't satisfy. It wasn't till other people admitted the blasphemous statement that they didn't like it that I realized there wasn't something wrong with me. Yes the pod race was fun, that lightsaber battle at the end along with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzVBqBosf5w">Duel of the Fates</a> will forever hold a special place in my heart; but it wasn't a good movie overall.<br />
<br />
I'd felt let down.<br />
The following two movies were even more abysmal for me.<br />
They didn't follow the story I had created in my mind over the years of what the prequels should have been. The story-line of Episodes I-III could have been so much more compelling. So much less awkward, so much more bright and beautiful. But they weren't and I was sad.<br />
<br />
The release of the MMORPG "Star Wars: The Old Republic" at the end of 2011 gave me a new hope (see what I did there?) Though I never played the game beyond a few minutes on one of my brother's accounts (as I had quit WoW cold turkey a few years before and vowed to never play another MMORPG), I was giddy with delight. The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyYbvVAtlWk">opening intro cinematic</a> is still beautiful, still powerful, still everything I had wanted the prequels to be. It assured me that there were others out there who knew what Star Wars was <i>supposed </i>to be! Maybe someday it would really happen in movie format.<br />
<br />
When Disney acquired the rights to the Star Wars franchise a year later, I was worried and dubious like other fans. Disney's promise to release a whole crap-ton of Star Wars movies ASAP wasn't exactly cause for celebration; but I remained hopeful when looking at what they had done for Marvel (X-Men was another beloved fandom of mine).<br />
<br />
The first few trailers for Episode VII didn't pique my interest at all. I'd been hurt before and I wasn't interested in repeating the same old feels. It wasn't going to be "<a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Truce_at_Bakura">The Truce at Bakura</a>", so what did I care?<br />
<br />
Then. THEN! that famous trailer with the reverently delivered lines of, "Chewy, we're home!" was released and for the first time in years I felt excited for a Star Wars movie. Maybe, just maybe The Force Awakens would be okay!<br />
<br />
An oh it was!<br />
It was <i>so </i>okay!<br />
<br />
Perfect? <br />
No.<br />
Beautiful?<br />
Yes.<br />
<br />
I had tears in my eyes throughout most of the movie (I've only seen it once sadly; not opening day, but opening weekend. First showing on a Sunday; and the theater was packed!). Finally I felt like I was seeing a real Star Wars movie on the big screen! The fact that it parted so drastically from the Expanded Universe was actually a breath of fresh air. This next trilogy is going to be new to die-hard fans and newbies alike. We will all be gazing up at the screen in wonder, no one knowing what would happen next. It's a thrill I wasn't expecting, but one that I was so thrilled to experience!<br />
<br />
So am I excited for the next one, along with the other spin-off films lined up?<br />
You bet! Though I'm being cautions: as much as I liked it, Episode VII is riddled with plot holes and superfluous characters that may or may not have any purpose in subsequent films.<br />
Though I know we won't get the delightfully subtle philosophy that was interwoven in the original trilogy, I have no doubt the following movies will be just as pretty as The Force Awakens. <br />
I've accepted that the Star Wars franchise has been delegated to the "popcorn flick" and frankly I'm okay with that. It still provides me with music by John Williams. It still provides familiar characters, themes and settings while introducing new planets, creatures and people to love and hate, the names of which I'll never remember.<br />
There's the Force, there's lightsabers, there's Jedi.<br />
I'll be there in the front-ish row with my overpriced popcorn soaking it all in.kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-58385250634194332302016-03-30T13:32:00.000-07:002016-03-30T13:43:58.762-07:00Life with Mono - Week 12A milestone I never thought I'd reach and still be feeling symptoms.<br />
<br />
My fellow Karate classmates have been asking when I'll be "cleared" to come back to class. Honestly I'm not under any medical restrictions; it all boils down to lingering fatigue and I've got it in spades!<br />
<br />
Just this past Monday I stayed home from work because I couldn't walk straight when I got up, or string two words together coherently. That miserable day of special hell was the culmination of a lot of me-not-taking-care-of-myself though.<br />
<br />
You see, last week was my first week of working 8-hour days again (finally!). I could feel myself slipping by about Wednesday, but I was determined to push through (hadn't it been bloody long enough already?). By Friday I was beat and asked to go home an hour early. Honestly I was surprised I'd made it <i>that </i>far. I made it home safely and immediately laid down for a half hour. I was too tired to sleep, but it felt so good to not have to be a functional human for a little while.<br />
<br />
I had hoped to get some rest over Easter weekend, but I really should have known better as I was going to my mother's house for the holiday. I love that woman to pieces but there's a few things working against anyone thinking they can convalesce at her place:<br />
<br />
1) There's no guest room. You can sleep on the hide-a-bed in the living room or in her room. Though her room has a door, there's no point in closing it as the cats and dog will freak out no matter what side of the door they're on.<br />
<br />
2) Her dog likes me.<br />
Her dogs sleeps with me at night.<br />
Her dog snores louder than a creature his size should. <br />
<br />
3) Mom is not a quiet person. My mother has a voice that carries and the house has a pretty open floor plan. She's also been very distracted lately, so five minutes after I laid down for a much-needed nap on Sunday afternoon she called out, "It's 46 degrees outside!"<br />
Thanks Mom, didn't really care. Trying to sleep and all.<br />
Five minutes after that she made some other pointless observation or asked a question.<br />
I wanted to cry.<br />
Fortunately exhaustion *did* allow me to sleep eventually but it wasn't enough (<sobbing> it's never enough!)<br />
<br />
So I went into this week running on fumes and on Monday I crashed...into my bed and there I stayed all day. Fortunately I felt worlds better yesterday and today I've felt better still, but just to provide a point of reference: the fatigue I feel today would have been worrying in my pre-mono days and it likely would have sent me home early to rest while guzzling down copious amounts of orange juice. (Now backtrack that to two days ago!)<br />
<br />
Post-mono though it's just a fact of life. And a relatively good day to boot as I don't have one of those lovely fatigue headaches to go along with it!<br />
<br />
One of the nice things though is the fatigue I've been feeling lately has been different from the "heavy", oppressive fatigue I had experienced earlier in my illness. This fatigue feels more "normal"; it just doesn't ever seem to want to go away.<br />
<br />
Just today I was contemplating saying "screw it!", throwing caution to the wind and starting my morning exercise routine back up (easing into it of course, but finally starting to at least do my stretches again). Cooler heads prevailed though and I did a little online research.<br />
<br />
Sadly, experiencing lingering fatigue even 3+ months out is considered normal within the scope of mono and everyone, EVERYONE said "DON'T PUSH IT!". "The fatigue is your body telling you that you still need to take it easy. Heed the warning and TAKE IT EASY!"<br />
<br />
*sniff*<br />
So I'll be good (...or as good as I'm capable) and not pick my exercises back up just yet. I'll continue to "take it easy" (try not to laugh too hard please). I'm still going to keep up these 8-hour days at work because I really can't afford it monetarily to stay home and do "nothing"; but I'll stay away from my extracurricular activities a little longer.<br />
And mono sucks.kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-18269361159216069272016-02-16T15:47:00.000-08:002016-02-16T15:47:05.436-08:00Life with Mono - Week 6Today marks the sixth week since I came down with mono. <br />
<br />
Of course I didn't know what it was at the time. We were doing warm-ups in Karate class and a quick change in the intensity of the work-out sent my heart into disconcerting palpitations and I felt too weak to stand. I sat the rest of the class out, sipping water and trying to get my breathing and heart rate back under control.<br />
<br />
The next morning my lungs were no longer on fire but my heart was still a little "poundy" well into the day. I had no energy (which surprised me, usually a good night's sleep solves such problems).<br />
<br />
As the days went by with little to no improvement, I thought there was something wrong with my blood pressure so I bought an at-home automatic blood pressure cuff and checked my pressures daily. The numbers were perfectly fine though. Still, I couldn't shake the oppressive fatigue or the fact that my heart would go nuts if I stood for too long or did any level of physical activity. I'd even get winded if I spoke for too long. I couldn't lay down on my sides and slouching wasn't too comfy either.<br />
<br />
Being the little hypochondriac that I am, my mind raced through a whole slew of possibilities: something wrong with my heart, something wrong with my lungs. I'm genetically predisposed to blood clots (though I've never had one), maybe I had a clot in my lungs that I didn't know about?<br />
<br />
Finally after a full week of not getting better I went to the Urgent Care to get looked at. <i>Any </i>answers were better than no answers. Fortunately the doctor was determined to figure out my problem. He ordered all the tests he could think of, and then almost as an afterthought he said, "Let's do a test for mono too."<br />
<br />
My husband and I snickered at that. "Mono? At <i>my </i>age?" Hey, whatever makes you happy pal.<br />
<br />
Turns out that was the only test to come back positive. Everything else proved I'm in perfect health.<br />
<br />
I was told that mono is incredibly catchy and that I could have picked it up anywhere - even a grocery cart handle! There's no medications for it and the only treatment is rest. I was given a three-day leave of absence from work (giving me five days off as that took it to the weekend) and sent on my way.<br />
<br />
Knowing what was wrong was great in that I at least had a time frame of how long I'd be laid up for: minimum two weeks; could be as much as three <i>months </i>though (or longer?); but it didn't make dealing with the symptoms much easier.<br />
<br />
I delegated the bulk of the household chores to my husband and slept and slept and slept some more. <br />
<br />
I returned to work the following week and things went along pretty hunky-dory for two weeks. I still had no energy for Karate or Tai Chi. I still had no tolerance for standing for any length of time, but I could finally sleep on my left side again and after a while could even slouch in perfect comfort (yay?), and I was acclimating to the fairly constant fatigue (so<i> that's</i> how parents of young children do it!).<br />
<br />
By last week though I realized I couldn't even function on <i>that </i>level.<br />
I had to scale it back at work to half-days as I realized if I get over-tired I'm done for well into the next day!<br />
<br />
My employer has been exceptionally accommodating though: my boss hooked me up with a laptop that allows me remote access to my work computer. The present routine now is that I go to work in the morning and put in four hours. Then I come home, get some lunch and lay down for an hour and a half to two hour nap (and I <i>sleep</i>!). Then I get up, have some dinner, and remote in for a couple hours. It's not a full eight hour day, but it's better than nothing.<br />
<br />
Even six weeks in, my energy levels are still shot. I still tire freakishly easy and I still sleep like the dead (no really, I've slept through calls to the house phone which typically wake me under normal conditions!) At this point I seem to be in a holding pattern: I'm not getting much better, but I'm not really getting worse either.<br />
<br />
I had to see my doctor last week to get her written approval for the half-days at work, and I'll see her again next week for some follow-up blood work to see how things are going.<br />
<br />
I'm seriously hoping this week marks a turning point for me.<br />Today was the first day I didn't need a nap in the afternoon and I actually got a lot done today after work without feeling horribly drained.<br /><br />Whether this is the start of an improvement or not, all I know is mono sucks! kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-40468443546692919222016-01-29T12:16:00.000-08:002016-01-29T12:19:42.848-08:00The Kai'us Numbering System<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="9d7d6-0-0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: auto; position: relative; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="4n231-0-0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: auto; position: relative; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span data-offset-key="ae621-0-0"><span data-text="true">(Sorry for the crazy formatting, not quite sure why it's coming out that way...)<br /><br />For those who don't know (which would be everyone except maybe one or two of you) the Kai'us numbering system has given me heartburn for years (approaching decades really). You'd think it'd be easy: Kai'us' have four digits on each hand (three fingers and a thumb), so it's always made sense that their numbers would be based on fours and eights instead of our fives and tens.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="f7mo8-0-0"><span data-text="true">Wanting to make my life as easy as possible I decided to give them just four numbers: meu, leu, deu & sheu</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="6q5g3-0-0"><span data-text="true">Written as such:</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="5sap0-0-0"><span data-text="true">/ = meu (1)</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="ff1i4-0-0"><span data-text="true">// = leu (2)</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="6cio8-0-0"><span data-text="true">/// = deu (3)</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9hmo6-0-0"><span data-text="true">//// = sheu (4)</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="52gr5-0-0"><span data-text="true">Not too complicated.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="ego53-0-0"><span data-text="true">Wanna go past that? Add a dot after the character:</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="5gjsg-0-0"><span data-text="true">/• = meu'ah (5)</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="nnf7-0-0"><span data-text="true">//• = leu'ah (6)</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">///• = deu'ah (7)</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="7vn8n-0-0"><span data-text="true">////• = sheu'ah (8)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="f8qqi-0-0"><span data-text="true">9-12 have the dot (and the "ah" sound) in front, and 13-16 have a dot in both the front and end of the character (so 16 would be •////• "ah'sheu'ah")</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="f8qqi-0-0"><span data-text="true">All of that's been the same since college.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9hgo3-0-0"><span data-text="true">Easy-peasy; but what to do from there? </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">Add prefixes!!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">This is where things get flaky 'cause I can do anything from this point (and I have). </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span data-offset-key="9hgo3-0-0"><span data-text="true">The pattern for the first sixteen numbers was always set to repeat but with lines added to the tops and/or bottoms of the numbers</span></span>; I just never devised a good system that was easy for me to remember. Also what to call those prefixes proved difficult as I always came up with just random labels that I'd never remember.</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">Finally though, I came up with a method for identifying and writing out the remaining numbers that I think will actually stick in my brain and make my life easier.</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">(Keep in mind that these numbers hardly ever show up in the stories, I've just always felt it important to understand thoroughly and completely how Kai-us' handle numbers and math.) </span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">After the first set of sixteen numbers you're going to add a line along the top, and the syllable "Lee" to the beginning of the number.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tHzfQZ1bXhg/VqpXwvHyDvI/AAAAAAAAADU/8eye6oAEGr0/s1600/SecondSet.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tHzfQZ1bXhg/VqpXwvHyDvI/AAAAAAAAADU/8eye6oAEGr0/s1600/SecondSet.png" /></a></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span>
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span>
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span>
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span><span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span>
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">Yeah, 30 gets to be a mouthful, but this is much higher than most Kai'us' can count. Most only need to get up to sixteen in their day-to-day life; after that there's nouns that translate to things like "many" and "many-many" that change in quantity depending on the context and what you're "counting".</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">33-48 are going to do the same thing, but the line will be along the bottom. </span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">The prefix for that set is "Du".</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">The "final" set (49-64) will have a slash going up from the bottom connecting with the first slash of the actual number:</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CwKxsQrgAIg/VqpZdRUIKFI/AAAAAAAAADg/s0YWbhc8EWo/s1600/ShaCharacter.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CwKxsQrgAIg/VqpZdRUIKFI/AAAAAAAAADg/s0YWbhc8EWo/s1600/ShaCharacter.png" /></a></div>
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true"> The prefix is called "Sha"</span></span><br />
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<br />
<span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">So 64 would be "ah'sha'sheu'ah" </span></span><span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span data-offset-key="9jnio-0-0"><span data-text="true">(sounds like a dance) </span></span>and it would look like this:</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6m1EIvMPykQ/Vqpa0eemSEI/AAAAAAAAAD0/h42ANrMEVdw/s1600/64Character.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6m1EIvMPykQ/Vqpa0eemSEI/AAAAAAAAAD0/h42ANrMEVdw/s1600/64Character.png" /></a></div>
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The dot can go inside the triangle if you so choose.<br />
<br />
The beauty of all this is the naming convention.<br />
The first set of 16 numbers has no prefix.<br />
The second set has the syllable "Lee", as in "leu", as in the number 2 ("Lee" is also a prefix that goes before a noun to make it plural).<br />
The third set uses "Du"; "deu"; 3. Also "u" is the next vowel in all the base numbers.<br />
Fourth set is "Sha"; "sheu"; 4. The "ah" sound is the next vowel to arrive in the number system.<br />
<br />
So nicely and simply we've gotten 64 numbers all named and labeled in a way that I'm sure to remember.<br />
Awesome.<br />
Let's keep going.<br />
<br />
The next set of 64 numbers will all be named the same, but will have "O" in the beginning.<br />
"O-" in the Kai'us language is a prefix to denote that something is holy, divine or <i>really </i>big.<br />
As far as Kai'us society goes, we're talking really big numbers now.<br />
<br />
The written prefix for the numbers 65-80 is two lines pointing outward, one at the top and one at the bottom. It's more or less a closing bracket ( ] ). So 65 is pronounced "o'meu".<br />
The highest number before this prefix changes is <span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">•]|||</span></span><span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">• and is "ah'o'sheu'ah" (80)</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">You can also put the "o" in front if you like. </span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">Doing this starts to sound like "wa" so this set can also be pronounced that way as well once the "ah"s start to get involved.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">Set number two (81-96) will have a line coming off the top of the first slash pointing outward (rather like a 7). The Prefix is "o'lee"</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">The third set (97-112) has the line coming off the bottom. "O'du"</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">The fourth set is an upside-down "sha" (a "V" in other words) and so is "o'sha". </span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">This gets us up to 128.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">From here you can stop.</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">Even the Grand Chief rarely needs to count much higher than that.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true"><i>If </i>for some wild and crazy reason though you need yet another set of sixteen numbers, you're in luck.</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">129-144 is denoted with a line at the top and a line at the bottom pointing inward (like an opening bracket [ only longer).</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">This prefix is called "o'shee".</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">This is going to be a source of humor for those who know the name of my first WoW character which was "Oshemeu". Using pigeon Kai'us this translates to "Great One". "O-" for really big or divine; "she" is the word for "big"; and "meu" is obviously "one".</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">(Using correct grammar though the name "Great One" would come out as "Mu-o-she" - "One who is Great"; but that doesn't roll off the tongue quite as nicely)</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">Taking this new system into account though, "o'shee'meu" is the number 129.</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">The interesting thing is this loops around nicely.</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="9s23i-0-0"><span data-text="true">Remove those lines and suddenly you're back to the beginning.</span></span> If you need specific numbers past that you'll just have to start adding numbers together.<br />
The general rule is to start with the highest number that's divisible by 16 (which would be 128 or 144 typically) and add the number that gets you the rest of the way; but a person is welcome to get creative and mash together whatever two numbers will get you there based on their aesthetics.<br />
<br />
Two hundred for instance could be broken down in many ways, but would likely be conveyed as "ah'o'she'sheu'ah esh sha'sheu'ah" which translates to "144 and 56".</div>
kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-89235116573671834432016-01-06T11:07:00.000-08:002016-01-06T11:07:02.213-08:00Name That Precipitation (Weather-related)We're into that time of year where I'll overhear someone say, "Wow, it was hailing really hard last night!" and I'll mentally note that there were no thunderstorms in the area and it's really the wrong time of year for thunderstorms anyway. Then I'll realize they're talking about <i>sleet</i>. Totally different.<br />
<br />
I'm rather saddened at how few people seem to know the difference between hail, sleet and freezing rain. I do understand why it may be hard to keep them straight: all three are forms of precipitation that involve rain and ice, but all three are very unique and occur under very specific conditions. <br />
<br />
What saddens me more is that meteorologists - rather than educating the masses - are dumbing down their terminology. <a href="http://www.intellicast.com/">Intellicast </a>no longer uses the word "sleet" in its forecasts. They now use the term "ice pellets". Though this is indeed an accurate description of sleet, it <i>does </i>have a name and it's called "sleet".<br />
<br />
So, what is the difference between the three?<br />
Glad you asked for I'm here to answer!<br />
<br />
<b>Hail</b><br />
<u>Conditions</u> - Typically warmer weather; more specifically during thunderstorms.<br />
<br />
<u>How's it made</u> - Inside <span>cumulonimbus clouds (the type that produce thunderstorms).</span><br />
<span>Hail starts as rain or small ice pellets that get kicked around within the towering cloud by wind.</span><br />
<span>The proto-hail gets thrown high up into the cloud where the air is colder and a layer of ice forms around it. When it gets too heavy for the winds to hold it aloft it falls to a lower portion of the cloud just to get tossed up again for another coating of ice.</span><br />
<span>Once it's too heavy for a repeat trip upwards, it falls to the earth as an uneven blob of ice.</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span>Hail can damage crops, vehicles, and structures. Large hail can hurt people too.</span><br />
<br />
<span>A hail fall doesn't typically last too long and the hail itself tends to melt quickly as it usually occurs in the spring and summer months when the ground temperatures are rather warm.</span><br />
<br />
<span>Hail is an indication of severe weather and its presence can herald a tornado or intense thunderstorm.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span>Sleet</span></b><br />
<span><u>Conditions</u> - When </span><span><span>surface air temperatures </span>temperatures </span><span><span>are below freezing, but temperatures </span> aloft (in the clouds) are above freezing. </span><br />
<br />
<span><u>How's it made</u> - Sleet starts life in the clouds as rain. As it falls to the earth it freezes into little ice pellets. Unlike hail - which looks globular in nature and can be any size, sleet is evenly shaped and small (because it's just rain that turned to ice).</span><br />
<br />
<span>Sleet can fall with just as much intensity as rain and for as long as the temperatures are favorable for it to remain ice. Sleet though can easily switch over to snow (if the air gets cold enough), or rain/freezing rain (if the air gets warmer). </span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<b><span>Freezing Rain</span></b><br />
<span><u>Conditions</u> - When the surface air temperatures are above freezing, but the ground and surfaces touching the ground are below freezing.</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span><u>How's it made</u> - Freezing rain is liquid rain that...well, freezes as soon as it hits something.</span><br />
<span>This forms a smooth, even coating of ice on trees, cars, the ground, anything it lands on because those surfaces are colder than the air that's just warm enough to keep it liquid.</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span>This ice build-up can bring down power lines or cause tree limbs to fall across power lines, causing power outages. The smooth ice can also accumulate on roads making travel difficult.</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span>So those are the three types of frozen precipitation that tend to get mixed up or used interchangeably.</span><br />
<span>Hopefully this guide will help you keep them straight so that you too can use the correct descriptions for what's falling from the sky.</span>kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-71817317633092176142015-12-31T07:30:00.000-08:002015-12-31T07:44:17.685-08:00Looking Back on 2015, Looking Ahead to 2016Hands down this has been the year of Karate.<br />
<br />
I poured a lot of spirit and effort into advancing to my next rank and I couldn't be happier.<br />
I've grown much as a martial artist this year and have even started assistant teaching Tai Chi. <br />
<br />
At the start of the year I couldn't understand how to throw a front-snap kick to face-height. I can do it now, but not with a lot of power behind it.<br />
Roundhouse kick with the ball of the foot? Got it. <br />
I wanted to be able to do a full split: I'm even closer now than I was.<br />
I wanted to be able to do 50 push-ups without stopping...okay, that goal go tweaked. I decided it was more realistic to do push-ups in smaller bursts; say 12-15. So I do a bunch of small groupings and that seems to be working well.<br />
<br />
Next year with see my beloved Sensei retiring in January.<br />
Though the school will continue under the tutelage of a new head instructor, I'm not sure what that will mean for my practice personally.<br />
Torch-passing aside, my martial arts goals for next year are to:<br />
• Improve my spinning techniques<br />
• Get more power behind all my kicks<br />
• I really need to continue to improve my sparring (the boxing lessons are helping)<br />
• Need to learn more joint locks. So many more joint locks!!<br />
<br />
If I push it, I might be able to test for my 1st Kyu rank at the end of the school year. If not then, then maybe by the end of next year. We'll see.<br />
<br />
This year was also the year my father-in-law, Dick passed away (ironically on Independence Day).<br />
Caring for him in his final months was a very powerful and empowering experience for me.<br />
<br />
After his passing I was able to reclaim my house (he was living with us for a good portion of last year and all this spring, being mostly bed-bound in the last month he was living at the house).<br />
The coming year will see my husband and I cleaning out the camp that Dick had occupied during the summer months for many, many years.<br />
<br />
Since Dick was a hoarder, this will not be a quick or easy process; especially since the camp can only be accessed by boat. Most of our weekends this coming summer will likely be spent on that "little" project.<br />
<br />
The other big thing that happened this year was that I participated in my final Sun-Moon Dance. (As in I completed my four-year commitment).<br />
This year's Dance was gentle on me (thankfully) and I was able to really touch and let go of some deep pain I hadn't realized I'd been holding. It was a truly beautiful experience (as it always is).<br />
If I participate in any Dances in the future, it'll be on the support side and I'm curious and excited to pursue that angle of the Dance. <br />
<br />
In other news: my business partner really wants to get back into making products for our crafting business. We've both been laying low the past couple years since last year we focused on my wedding and this year I was distracted by caring for Dick and getting my next Karate rank.<br />
Though our business (and sales) has actually grown this year, we really want to get sewn products into our inventory and we're hoping to start making bags this winter and spring.<br />
<br />
We're also researching larger venues to sell our wares. It's pretty exciting and scary at the same time! <br />
<br />
We both are also very much feeling the itch to belly dance again - another activity that has suffered for the past two years for the same reasons. We're looking into tumbling or adult gymnastics classes to improve our strength and flexibility and to spice up our duet dance routines even more.<br />
<br />
On a personal level I'd like to get back into writing. I didn't participate in NaNoWriMo this year and I have no regrets on that front; but I have three projects that are languishing in various states of completion that I'd very much like to return to and guide along their way.<br />
<br />
I also keep glancing around the edges of going back to school or getting a different job.<br />
Not that I don't like or even love my present employment - I couldn't ask for a better job! But the pay is miserable. Taking a deep breath and plunging into something new may be in the forecast after the New Year...or not. Time will tell on that front.<br />
<br />
So 2015 has been the year of growth.<br />
2016 is slated to be the year of change.<br />
<br />
We'll see what the future brings!<br />
<br />kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-796233069991910682015-12-27T18:56:00.000-08:002015-12-27T18:56:25.039-08:00Interview with a Belly DancerI've been blogging so much about the martial arts of late that it's easy to forget that I have other hobbies. Of course I've also not been actively participating in many of those other activities lately, so it's not really something that I bring up in conversation too much either. Fortunately my brother, Scott hasn't forgotten. <br />
<br />
He's going to school for Communications and one of his class projects involved each student taking turns producing and directing a little ten minute interview-style spot that would stream live on the college's website. <br />
<br />
After many ideas fell through, he finally made it down the list to me. It wasn't because he didn't think I'd be a good subject or because he didn't think I'd do it (I'm pretty sure he knew I would); it was because it was on a Tuesday (I'd have to take time off from work) and I live about three hours away.<br />
<br />
I was more than happy to participate and was even more excited when he said the topic would be about belly dance.<br />
<br />
The whole experience was a lot of fun and something I really enjoyed was the interview questions he had come up with. He got them to me a day or two ahead of time so I could maul them over a little before the show. I have to admit I was rather impressed with the questions!<br />
<br />
Since they're not simple "yes" or "no's" though we were only able to get through three or four of the questions during the broadcast. As I really liked the questions and I wasn't able to answer them a thoroughly as I would have liked, I asked his permission to let me answer them in a blog post.<br />
<br />
He happily agreed!<br />
<br />
<b>Q:</b> First, the easy ones: What is belly dancing? Where does it come from?<br />
<b>A:</b> It's actually not as easy as one would think.<br />
Of course the common consensus is that belly dance originated in the Middle East - especially Egypt; but I've found that any culture old enough to have a tribal or nomadic stage to its history develops some form of belly dance.<br />
So, what <i>is </i>belly dance? You see my costume (a coin bra, baggy harem pants, a long garment called a "ghawazee coat", and a coin belt) and can easily surmise, "Oh, she's a belly dancer." But I can belly dance in sweatpants and a hoodie if I wanted to.<br />
You hear Middle Eastern music and can easily think, "That's belly dance music." But belly dancers love dancing to contemporary music as well because the audience can relate to it more easily.<br />
The movements are very serpentine; either circular or figure-eight in nature; but other styles use similar movements.<br />
To me belly dance is a celebratory art form. It's not about selling sex, though it's very sensual since women <i>are </i>sensual. In fact many people believe its origin was as a dance by women for women to celebrate births, weddings, coming of age, whatever. This holds true today in that many belly dancers actually prefer to perform for other belly dancers. These types of gatherings are called "hafla's".<br />
<br />
<b>Q</b>: Of all the styles of dancing out there, what inspired you to become a belly dancer? <br />
<b>A</b>: Three things really drew me to belly dance.<br />
1) It's a solitary style of dance.<br />
Ballroom dancing requires a partner, but belly dance can be done (and practiced) alone. Even when belly dancers perform in a group they rarely touch each other. Each dancer is responsible to know the choreography or to pick up the cues from the leader. It's all on you.<br />
2) It's a highly feminine form of dance.<br />
This was really important to me in the beginning as I was still exploring my personal femininity (I started belly dance a little over ten years ago). I grew up in a very masculine environment and went to school for Computer Animation, which doesn't draw a lot of females. I was also working at a Navy training facility at the time which (understandably so) doesn't have a lot of women present.<br />
Belly dance was one of the girliest activities I could think to do.<br />
3) Who <i>doesn't</i> want to wear pretty, shiny, jingly outfits?<br />
<br />
<b>Q:</b> Well and speaking of outfits: where would someone buy something like what you're wearing?<br />
<b>A</b>: The chunky, colorful jewelry that belly dancers love to wear is actually in style at the moment, so I pick up a lot of pieces at department stores.<br />
The garments themselves can be found at local and state fairs as well as Renaissance festivals; but they can also be purchased easily online from places like <a href="http://www.missbellydance.com/Default.asp">MissBellyDance.com</a>, <a href="http://www.turkish-emporium.com/">TurkishEmporium</a>, and <a href="http://isisexchange.com/">IsisExchange </a>(not a very PC name these days, I know; but remember that Isis is an Egyptian goddess)<br />
For more modern/urban tastes, there's places like <a href="http://urbangypsyapparel.bigcartel.com/">TheScarletLounge</a>.<br />
Many dancers make their own garb however. Apart from the coin belt, I made everything I'm wearing. <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/">Simplicity </a>makes some superb belly dance costume patterns (as well as many other lovely patterns!)<br />
<br />
<b>Q:</b> How do you train to be a belly dancer? Is your training common among other dancers?<br />
<b>A:</b> Usually finding an instructor in your area is just a Google search away these days. You can also check with your local YMCA or yoga studio (for some odd reason yogi's and belly dancers tend to all know each other).<br />
I've studied under three different instructors and have also gone to a handful of workshops, so I can tell you the training is fairly consistent across the board. Classes are obviously not done in full costume, though most of the time students wear a coin belt (it's just more fun if you're making noise). Other than that, sweats or whatever you'd wear to do yoga will work for belly dance class. Typically the teacher stands in front of the class and shows the moves they're teaching that day and everyone follows along.<br />
Some teachers like to teach with mirrors, some don't.<br />
Many teachers with have beginner classes, intermediate/advanced classes as well as troupe/performance classes. You never have to commit to performing in public when signing up for a belly dance class. Some instructors don't even have performance troupes and just teach because it's really great exercise!<br />
<br />
<b>Q</b>: How big is the belly dancing community? In this state? This country?<br />
<b>A</b>: In my area (the Capital Region of Upstate NY) there's quite the thriving belly dance community. In a thirty mile radius you have access to no less than three or four teachers of varying styles.<br />
Things may be more sparse or active as one goes through the country though; it's something I don't particularly follow too closely. <br />
I <i>do </i>know that belly dance is a big deal out in California (and the west coast in general) as that's where <a href="http://fcbd.com/about/">American Tribal Style</a> originated. <br />
<br />
<b>Q</b>: Are there any belly dancing tournaments? Do you participate in any?<br />
<b>A</b>: That's actually one I had to look up.<br />Belly dance isn't really a competitive sport.<br />
There apparently <i>are </i>belly dance competitions, but they're few and far between. I think they're more of a thing outside of the US.<br />
Certainly you'll find belly dancers performing in local talent shows. America's Got Talent usually has a couple acts come through during the audition phase; but typically local dancers host performances in their area for entertainment only.<br />
<br />
<b>Q:</b> Shakira is probably the most famous belly dancer here in America; what are the general thoughts of the dancing community about her style?<br />
<b>A:</b> Oy, is she <i>really </i>the most well known belly dancer in the States? Not <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Brice">Rachel Brice</a> or <a href="http://zoejakes.com/dancecraft/">Zoe Jakes</a>? (Some of the biggest names within the American belly dance scene)<br />
Okay, Shakira's got some great moves, I won't lie (see what I did there? tee-hee); but she mixes hip-hop with her belly dance which easily confuses people into thinking that belly dance is far more sexual than it really is.<br />
I assure you than spreading your legs while straddling a chair is <i>not </i>in the belly dance repertoire. We actually do our best to dance with our legs together thank you very much.<br />
<br />
<b>Q:</b> Do you have advice for anyone interested in becoming a belly dancer themselves?<br />
<b>A:</b> Do it.<br />Do it!<br />
Do it!!!<br />
If you're in an area with several teachers, go find a teacher you like. (Note that there's many styles too and while one style may not resonate with you, another might. No teacher should ever get defensive if you ask what style she teaches.)<br />
If your choices are slim or non-existent, you can actually learn a fair bit on youTube or from a DVD; but it's really not a true substitute for learning from a real person. The posture is very important and a video won't be able to tell you that your hips aren't tucked, your knees are locked, or that your shoulders are slouching.<br />
Belly dance is such an empowering form of feminine expression. It's also a pretty fun and kick-ass workout. If you're even remotely interested, I highly recommend giving it a try!kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144046629114633306.post-68965643302850035032015-11-21T09:11:00.002-08:002015-11-21T09:11:37.444-08:00Taking the Next Step (Martial Arts-Related)I tested for and achieved my next rank in Karate at the end of October.<br />
It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and I feel much better about how I did on this test than the last one.<br />
So now I'm 2nd Kyu. In the system I'm going through, this is second degree brown belt. I'm now two ranks away from black belt. Woo-hoo!<br />
<br />
Also at the end of October (the last Friday to be precise) was open sparring at our sister dojo.<br />
Anyone of all levels is welcome to attend and though this has been going on for the last Friday of every month for as long as I've been studying Karate, I'd never attended for various reasons.<br />
<br />
What made this one special was the Sensei at that dojo is moving away and is handing it over to another instructor. The sparring session in October would be the last chance to spar with this incredible martial artist. Unable to pass up such an opportunity, I made every effort to go and I had fun!<br />
<br />
After the sparring, the instructor who'll be taking over had his usual Tai Chi class (which is every Friday). As Tai Chi is my first martial arts love <i>and </i>he was a fellow classmate when <i>I</i> was learning all those years ago, I asked if I could stay for his class.<br />
Sure.<br />
Great!<br />
<br />
And so I was reminded yet again how very much I love Tai Chi. The slower movements allow for more deliberate breathing and an easier feel of the energy flows (at least for me). Oh it was great!<br />
<br />
It was a smallish class: less than ten people; but they were all at different spots in the form. This posed (an apparently long-standing) problem for the instructor because after the warm-up he had to split everyone up into groups based on what point they were at. He'd show one group their next move, then move to the next group and the next group and so on; dividing his time between three or four groups. If you forgot the move you were supposed to be working on (in part or in full), you'd have to wait till he came back around to your group.<br />
<br />
Because I hadn't been in a Tai Chi class for over six years, I couldn't be terribly helpful to the group I was put with. I remembered some of the form with little to no effort on my part, but other sections were just like they were new.<br />
<br />
Still, this situation perked my ears.<br />
I like Tai Chi...a lot. I'd love to do it again, but I've already learned the short form (and the long form, and the sword form), I've just fallen out of practice.<br />
Coming back as a student would seem silly. It'd all come back to me in probably a month's worth of classes and that'd be all I'd need. Though learning is a fractal process and there's <i>always </i>more to learn, my main focus presently is Karate. <br />
However, seeing how he had to divide his time so much made me wonder if maybe I could be part of the solution here!<br />
<br />
What if I came on as an assistant instructor?<br />I'd get my Tai Chi fix and he'd get help with the students.<br />
<br />
It sounds rather simple and obvious, but I kid you not, this was a big mental and emotional step for me.<br />
I've always been a student.<br />
Always.<br />
Yoga, belly dance, Tai Chi, whatever activity: I'm always the passive learner.<br />
<br />
Yes, I've been an assistant instructor at Karate for well over a year now; but that's just par for the course. As soon as a brown belt is tied around your waist, no matter your age or how long you've been studying, you're automatically tossed right in and expected to be able to run warm-ups and help the lower ranks with their katas. Better hope you can count in Japanese by this point (most people can), and that you can break down the first kata into pieces new students can absorb!<br />
Though you're now teaching others (and I'm don't mean to short-change this process, because you really <i>do</i> learn by teaching!), it's still from the passive student perspective: I've been told to do this so I am doing it.<br />
<br />
Now<i> I</i> was reaching out and stepping into a more active role.<br />
I honestly struggled with this paradigm shift for over two weeks.<br />
Could I do it?<br />
Could I handle the responsibility?<br />
Was I being too arrogant in wanting to ask in the first place? (Remember I haven't touched Tai Chi in over six years!)<br />
<br />
Finally I took the plunge and just asked.<br />
I explained that I obviously wasn't qualified to teach the subtler nuances of the form, but with a little refresher, I'd be more than capable of showing students the correct hand and foot positions.<br />
<br />
He was interested and willing to give it a go.<br />
I was on cloud nine!<br />
Holy cow! I was going to (assistant) teach!!<br />
How freaking awesome!<br />
<br />
And so for this past week leading up to the class last night I went through the opening moves of the form on my own; trying to dredge up what once had flowed so effortlessly and naturally.<br />
I was happy to find after some trial and error that I could comfortably recall the first eight moves (out of 60).<br />
I showed up last night a little early and he ran me through those eight moves, gently correctly my six years of rust and explaining how he articulates the movements verbally to students. Then off we went!<br />
<br />
I will admit: this first class wasn't pretty.<br />
After warm-ups he handed me over to his newest students who are only five or six moves in. <br />
I bumbled so much - teaching a move in the incorrect order; moving on to the next part of the form a little too quickly for them; forgetting to talk through some of the foot positions. But the two people I was working with were so understanding and forgiving and just happy to have an instructor with them the whole time to keep repeating with them the same opening moves over and over. And oh man did I learn so much last night!<br />
<br />
I'm humbled, but still excited.<br />
There's still so much to do and learn, but I have at least taken the next step in my martial arts practice and I couldn't be happier!kiusladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17889167135797769622noreply@blogger.com2