The Center of the Universe

I just wrote a long and very strange post to my music blog Fleur D'Amour, and don't want to repeat it here, but anyone interested in my axis mundi research should read it.

http://fleurdamourmusic.blogspot.com/2009/04/center-of-universe.html

Maybe I SHOULD Accept Ads for this Blog

Here's an interesting Wall Street Journal article about the explosion of blogging as an actual profession. No wonder old media is in trouble - I knew there were LOTS of blogs, but had no idea this many people were being financially supported by them: "In America today, there are almost as many people making their living as bloggers as there are lawyers. " Whoa. That's a lot of bloggers. And that is a lot of ad money being drained from traditional sources.

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB124026415808636575-lMyQjAxMDI5NDIwMTIyNjE0Wj.html

Apple Workshop

I took the most basic Apple intro class this weekend at their closest store, and while most of it was as boring as you might think, it did also have some helpful material. I learned a lot about keyboard shortcuts and basic maintenance, so it was worth attending.

I've got intro to Logic Pro and intro to iWork coming up later this week. I'll book more of these workshops in the next month or so to help me get more acquainted with all of the programs. I've used Mac before, but never as my primary machine, and I want to get the most out of it.

Here is a link to the free classes at Apple if anyone is interested in taking some:

http://www.apple.com/retail/workshops/

The Path is Levelling Out

I have been struggling a little with my book edits, because, as I Twittered recently, this rough draft is heavily overgrown and needs a lot of weeding. It's not exactly a first draft, because I did some streamlining as I went, especially as I typed the manuscript, but it needs a lot of work still and it's been progressing very slowly. However, I suddenly remembered the other day that I did a lot more editing during the writing process in the second half of the book. I hit my stride at one point, and I recall that it became much more refined after that. That is the point at which I had an a-ha! moment that made a profound shift in my writing approach which I then went back and retroactively applied to my first book. The bottom line is that this should get easier very soon.

Opus Magnum

My housemate Evonne told me about this alchemy conference in the fall in Los Angeles and I plan to attend:

http://www.alchemyconference.com/

She heard about it from someone who came to her Lightning Temple meeting and who attends an alchemical mystery school - how cool is that?

Apple of Knowledge

I registered for some free classes at the Apple store: a general intro class, one on iWork and another on LogicPro, which I don't own yet but plan to buy soon. They also have sessions on iWeb, Aperture, Final Cut Pro, etc., and I plan to take all of them. Free is good. If I need more training, they also have more advanced one-on-one sessions that I think are reasonably priced.

She's Buying a Stairway to Heaven

Here is more info on the Levenda book, per my post below.

http://www.amazon.com/Stairway-Heaven-Alchemists-Kabbalists-Transformation/dp/0826428509/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238628866&sr=8-4

I stumbled on it at the Jung Institute bookstore and it's been immeasurably valuable to me.