“I had rather be dog and bay at the moon
Than such a roman.”
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar [IV.iii.27-8]
Brutus to Cassius, worrying about a little bribe. N.B.: Aries begins, in earnest, next week, as Mercury gets hisself unretrograde.
More travel info, and upcoming dates are here.
Aries: I was going to try my hand at singing, a really old song from almost, well, a long time ago. Jimmy Buffett’s “Come Monday,” with lyrics that go something like, “Come Monday it’d’ll be all right, come Monday, Aries will be starting out right….” I forgot to check the lyrics on the web so I might have them a little off, but that’s the sentiment, that, by Monday, everything, and I mean everything, all aspects of the Life of Aries, is better. Better isn’t quite the same thing as excellent. It’s by degrees, and the planets move by degrees, and it’s less about Mercury mayhem and the sweeping up process left over from that little mess, and more about the concept that a birthday is right around the corner. You’re afraid that I’ll forget that it’s your birthday coming up. I didn’t forget, but I’m going to be busy that afternoon, and the intention of sending you a card, and actually sending you a card? Might not happen. I used to keep a stash of “sorry I forgot to mail this card on time” cards handy, just for such occasions. However, as one might guess, I’ve used them all up.
Taurus: I started having rather good luck with fishing right at dusk. This being Austin, we have to include some bats in the equation, as they go circling around, flitting off downstream at dusk. Part of the urban environment, my little suburban ecosystem. Got so that I would try and be home right around dusk, just for the sake of fishing. That was good. One afternoon, must’ve been last month, I’d been in shorts for a few days, and the weather was changing again. A mild cold front was headed this way. Means the fish get nice and hungry. That’s good. I also had to book a reading, a series of readings, really, with various, valued clients. Fish or work? Make money or spend money on bait and hooks? While I’d rather be fishing, certain days, even if the weather conditions are perfect, I have to put off what I really want to do, by a fluke of my schedule, in order to earn a little cash. Since this was happening the very afternoon I was working on your projections, I realized this is a perfect way to explain what’s going on, planet-wise, with Taurus. Fishing conditions may be perfect, but other work calls, and sometimes, that’s just more important. I did fish afterwards, though, and just when I thought I had a bite, it was nothing more than a bat skimming along the surface of the lake, rippling my line with its flight.
Gemini: The planet Mars is associated with the Roman god Mars, the warrior. He was also healer, but we’re not worried about that part. This is about conflict — and hopefully — conflict resolution. Or better yet, conflict avoidance. Borrowing a note from an infantry journal, consider the combat suggestion that, “If the enemy is in range, so are you.” I’m not sure about the Martian conflict that’s going on with my Gemini friends, but the way it works, if you can see the enemy, then there’s a good chance that your opponent can see you, too. Just because little Mr. Mercury is correcting his errant ways doesn’t mean that you can pop off at any target. In certain conflict situations, the best course of action is to conserve ammunition. Don’t fire just fire away as that might draw attention to your position. Carefully select the fight. Even better, don’t start a fight. A little more conservative placement might save you a lot of trouble — and prevent unnecessary (Gemini) battlefield injuries.
Cancer: Will Rodgers was a fount of useful wisdom. I was going to pass this week’s advice off as my own, but I decided that maybe I’d better give credit where it was due. “Never pass up a good chance to shut up.” I might have the quote a little wrong, but that’s the sentiment, and it’s been bantered around quite bit, but I’m pretty sure its roots can be traced back to that Tulsa native. I can imagine an e-mail note, something about my dubious parental lineage, perhaps a slur towards some of my current practices, but the point of the message is simple. Just because Mercury is apparently moving in a more orderly direction doesn’t mean it’s time to engage the Cancer mouth in loquacious actions. Kissing is fine. Kissing backsides is fine. But a better use? Firmly clamped shut. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it since there are a few little Cancer buttons that might get touched, not really pushed, but touched in such a way as to incite an ill-timed comment. Or two. Or even three. Which brings me back to the sage from Tulsa, “Never miss a good chance to shut up.”
Leo: I don’t dislike spiders. I don’t keep them as pets, either. Sort of like snakes, me and those spiders, we keep a respectful distance. There’s a particular type, and I’m not sure of its taxonomy, but I’ve always called them “Writing Spiders.” In the middle of the web, there’s usually a zigzag pattern woven, sort of as a warning. Or maybe it catches the curious moth, I don’t know. The bigger “writing spiders,” oh I’m guessing here, can get up to several inches across in size. Not something I’d like to tangle with. One took up residence on the backside of the trailer’s “patio,” and being a nature observer, I took up a lazy kind of détente with that critter. It would eat bugs, and I wouldn’t disturb that spider. Worked well enough. I could stretch my airy imagination around the web’s markings, and I could pretend that there was a hidden message, filled with meaning. Might mean something, for real, in spider writing, but I never made any sense out of it. However, that writing also served as a reminder as to where the web was. Easily visible under the arc lights for the trailer park. Easy to avoid. Maybe that’s why that particular spider learned to weave a web like that, to keep people like me out of the way. It works. Works well. Mercury this, Mars that, Jupiter, and, lest we forget, Saturn? There’s a web on you Leo back patio. It has some extra markings in it. Just pay attention, it’s Nature’s little warning sign. No need to disturb that spider. (It’s probably not poisonous or vicious, but why try to find out?)
Virgo: In the ongoing quest to find the best way to serve the reader, that would be you, Virgo dear, I’ve toyed with a number of hosting options. I finally alighted on one company that had a slightly simplistic approach, but the minimalist product — their service — was good. Sound quality at a low price. Not the cheapest, but service and performance versus value? A good deal. A fair deal. Not too many features to confuse the issue. Not too much of that extraneous material that makes for great marketing, but that selfsame material offers almost no tangible value. It’s like one of my favorite catch-all phrases, “As seen on TV!” Do you really need all of that extra gimmicks that don’t really serve much of a purpose? Probably not. Probably don’t need a pocket fisherman, either, as the right tool for the job is usually task-specific. It’s important. For me, the tool was a hosting-service, and for you? Take a pick. But I am suggesting that you pick the correct implement to tackle the job at hand, rather than just try and force a situation with whatever is handy. Instead of reaching for a Phillips screwdriver, when a flathead would work? Don’t force the Mercury clean-up issues.
Libra: Last time I checked, unless the law has changed and I didn’t know, it was permissible to make right turn when a stoplight was red. Provided, of course, the right-of-way is clear. As I understand it, most states now have this law in effect. We were coming back from dinner and reading, and we were going to swing down Congress Ave. to have some post-prandial coffee. I was riding shotgun with a Libra lass. She took a right on red, and in the dark, she missed seeing the sign that said, “No right on red.” Plus, she did this with an Austin Police car right behind her. Behind us. The lights started to flash, and she pulled into the gas station at the corner there, right on Congress Ave and Riverside Dr. She was friendly, polite, and the nice officer gave her a warning ticket. While he was checking her license and registration, “Please stay in the car, ma’am,” she was muttering to me, “I can’t get another ticket, I still haven’t paid that last one!” But her record was clean, and she only got a warning. This time. Next time, I’m sure she’ll not break the law. A warning ticket served its intended purpose. Chances are, what between Mars and Mercury, you’re going to get a warning. Take it for what it’s worth, you’ve just been warned. Nothing goes on your record. But next time after the warning ticket? Can’t say you weren’t warned.
Scorpio: I was dining out in a fashionable — slight dive feel to the place — south Austin eatery. As is frequently my custom, I queried the young and attractive server as to what her birthday was. “Who wants to know? If you’re so good, why not guess, smart boy?” Scorpio. Just figures. Blue eyes with that curiously piercing gaze. I wanted to know because I’m always curious as to what signs I’m interacting with — makes for a smoother transaction. Scorpio, huh? Means I trusted what she suggested for menu choices, but I had to dig a little. Is this item good? Sure, but I also like this one, and so on. It’s usually the second or third item that the Scorpio mentions, and her eyes seem to light up. Telltale evidence. Little clues that some folks miss. Pay attention to the details. Pay close attention the little items in the list, and when that person your Scorpio self is talking to, when that person gives the subtle indication that it’s really the number two or even the third option that’s the best? Follow the suggestions. I’ll promise that a little bit of patient Scorpio snooping will yield better results.
Sagittarius: South By South West (henceforth SXSW) used to be the biggest of big deals. I watched a running argument that suggested the Austin Rodeo actually brought in more business, more dollars for the local economy. Then there was the question about the Austin City Limits festival, and they claimed they brought in the most tourist dollars. It all becomes fuzzy math, but the various factions each claimed that they really generated the most tourist dollars for the local economy. In part, because Shady Acres is so close to downtown and restaurant row, I tend to see the SXSW people more than anything else, and I was just assume that they are really the biggest boom for the buck. The problem with these various events, though? Tourists. Way too many tourists. Any chance I get to leave during this time? Any pretext to be out of town? I’m gone. For good reason, too, as the normally bucolic local hot spots, more like tepid spots, are overrun with out of town guests, all shapes and sizes. Some are quite foreign to our ways. For me, SXSW is the greatest imposition. On the upside, the material covered in the convention areas is actually quite good. But the other half of the situation? My normal hangouts are flooded with people. It’s the stuff of legends, now, but one year, me and a friend named bubba got bumped up in line, there was a two-hour wait for a table, and we were seated immediately. The problem? With Mars opposite Sagittarius? That’s not going to happen this year. Not at all. Plus a two-hour wait for table at cheesy Tex-Mex dive? You know how much tequila Bubba can drink in that time? It’s not a pretty sight. Solutions? You know those sandwiches they sell in convenience stores? Mars is in the way, and that’s the easiest way to get some supper — if the guy in line ahead of me would just hurry up.
Capricorn: There’s a spot on the hike and bike trail, just behind the old power plant, and it’s perfect for fishing. Or so it would seem. On a spring-like day in mid-March, the gentle zephyrs stirring the trees, the foliage just starting to turn green? Gentle willow trees grace the waterway’s edge? Sure. Looks good. However, on the dock, which is really more like a little observation point, there are a couple of beer cans, recently emptied, plus there’s a Styrofoam container that used to hold worms. And there’s a telltale piece of fishing line, still hanging in one of the tree branches. Somebody’s been here before, and recently. My little idyllic spot has been used. I had a fishing pole in hand, and I unhooked the spinner bait, gave it a good toss, and dragged the bait back through the water a couple of times, just for good measure. Didn’t expect to catch anything as I was sure the fish there had seen it all before. I was right. My expectations of no success were 100% right. I’m wondering, if I got out earlier, like before sunrise, or if I were out there at dusk, if I would fair any better. Maybe. But since it’s such an ideal spot, I’m not sure that I can toss anything at the fish that they haven’t already seen. Besides, the other fisher persons left evidence that the spot’s been well-used. Didn’t stop me from trying that once, or, really, three times, as I cast a few times, just for good measure. Like me, you’re in a well-worn spot. And like me, you’re wondering what you can do to be successful. First off, adjust your expectations. Secondly, look at the evidence that supports the idea that someone’s been there before. Maybe that other person scared the fish away. Never hurts to try, but there’s no point in waiting around on something that isn’t going to happen.
Aquarius: Sudden revelations. Sometimes, these are good events, like the little epiphany you have that solves a formerly Mercurial Mercury problem. Other revelations aren’t always as nice. I’m leaning towards the good side of the revelations coming out over the next couple of days. I’m also an eternal optimist. Or a failed pessimist, which, of course, is how I prefer to see it. I also have faith that a good Aquarius can wrap his or her brain around that concept, the failed pessimist. But wrapping your brain around the way I tend to mangle the language doesn’t have a lot to do with learning something that maybe you didn’t really want to learn. It’s easy to stumble upon a slight communications problem, my favorite example is when a quick e-mail reply was sent to a particular list-serv, which means that a personal note hit the broadest of dissemination. Not exactly what everyone on that list was looking for, perhaps it can be filed under a little too much personal information. You and me, Aquarius and astrology writer cum Fishing Guide to the Stars, we’re aware that the last the Mercury mess-ups aren’t over. So a little extra caution is urged. Has to do with revealing a little too much information. Or learning something that maybe you didn’t really want to know.
Pisces: I was in a local place, eating a little chicken-fried steak. Not the best CFS in the world, but certainly right up there with a top-ten listing. This one place tries to ape the local chic and be a little “Austin-centric.” I never inquired, so I don’t really know, but the music piped into the sound system, that ambient, background auditory filler tends to be Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and so forth. Except, that one afternoon, it sounded a lot like a half-hour Jerry Garcia live recording. One of those “forever hippie jam bands” solos that just winds on and on. My Pisces server that afternoon was not amused, “Yeah, this cycles up about once every third or fourth day, and I’ll tell you what, I’m kind of sick of it.” So the musical genre didn’t quite fit with what that one server liked. I enjoyed it, the song was playing when I entered, playing while I ordered, continued as I ate, and I finally noted it was still going on when I left, probably 45 minutes later. I’m sure that it would offend some people. My only notation, and why I was thinking about this, is that I wanted to look up the CD, see if I could obtain a copy of the song. My amusement, remember, I was dealing with an impatient Pisces server, my non-Pisces amusement? I kept it to myself. But I’m careful with gentle and delicate Pisces. Not everyone will be so easy-going as myself. What to watch out for? Long guitar solos will try your patience, as will long-haired folks who seem to enjoy that kind of music. While I appreciate the Pisces candor and music critique, I’m not sure that everyone else will.
