Horoscopes 9-3-2024

Sun conjunct Moon 9/2 8:57 PM 11°4’ Virgo
Mars enters Cancer 9/4 2:47 PM
Mercury enters Virgo 9/9 1:51 AM

Virgo

It was a cute (Virgo) comment, “I know I’m over-thinking this one, but…” It’s that hanging interruption, the injection of “but” as a rejoinder, and what that indicates? In my own mind, as soon as I hear that, I know, “Ah-ha! Here comes the pitch, excuse, or other reason why, or why not,” and the direction depends on what’s gone before. “I know I over-think, but, someone’s got to do some thinking!” That I would agree with, and as a humous anecdote, I’ve used it before, but I’m not serious about it, and I tend to not over-think. I’m not Virgo, and it’s not even near my birthday months, so no over-thinking here. But with the casual lift from Mercury? Pressure applied by Mars and the relative position of Venus? Is overthinking it really bad? What do you think, birthday person?

Libra

There is a substantial difference in sentiments. One buddy, his date didn’t like the food that was served, so as his date pushed her plate back, and folded her napkin in a sign of refusal to go any further, my buddy did the same thing. He followed exactly what she did. In part, it’s because he’s being emotionally supportive, and in part, he can always swing through a drive-thru on the way home to make sure everyone is fed.

It’s the show of (girlfriend) support that is important. In one form, or another, she didn’t like the croutons, or the dressing, or something, and so he didn’t like it, either. I understand. My exception — I’m not gentle Libra — my exception? I was hungry, and the food was serviceable to me. Served what I wanted it to do. I guess that’s the difference, but this is a time when the Libra support is important, however that might show up.

Scorpio

An ascetic Scorpio suggested that one woman came chasing after him because she thought he was “Independently wealthy.” The real story? “I didn’t say I was rich I said I was independent of money.” Sounds more like me, as I’ve spent many long years, in spiritual contemplation, the monk-like habit of a lifestyle, and similar pursuits of the mind rather than just pleasures of the flesh. The reality is that I’m too lazy to chase wealth for wealth’s sake. But I’m not Scorpio. The message is to listen. Listen to the actual words. Me? I’d like to think I’m independent of wealth, too. I have a rich life, not based on assets, but on what I do, and how I choose to interact, and with whom. The hint? Scorpio? “Independently wealthy,” or “independent of wealth,” what will it be this week?

Sagittarius

As Mars moves out of loquacious Gemini, into quiet Cancer, the Sagittarius direction and attention shifts. The simplest, most direct exhortation, from me to Sagittarius elements that are affected by the motions of Mars? “Oh pull-ease, get your mind out of the gutter!” There is a technical and rather convuluted explanation, and one that I’m not willing to embark upon at the moment. One too many people find the other expressions of this energy — the terms and conditions that I use — to be forward, rude, or otherwise indiscreet. I was called “obnoxious,” more than once. I’ve also made an effort to tone down the delivery, and this week, like me? Gregarious, forthright, outgoing, and otherwise outward with our emotional delivery? Sagittarius: just can it for a few days. Just like a bottle of water, purified, sealed, and shut.

Capricorn

I was stuck in a rare AirBnB that didn’t come equipped with a Keurig-style coffee maker. It’s an Austin thang. The decorations were a tasteful mishmash of old dorm room art, Target “designer” bourgeois styles, and a hint of minimalist. Actually a great place to stay, 5 Stars. The only coffee maker was a French Press. I bought some store-brand ground coffee for it. How we forget our roots? My first cup was serviceable, but there was a slight problem, been a long time since I brewed French Press coffee, arguably the best way to truly savor coffee, but it requires finesse. That finesse, and a good burr grinder that does a coarse granular coffee for best extraction, which as noted above, I had store-brand grind. The creama from the blossom was excellent, good beans, but there was a lot of sediment, fine-ground coffee that squeezed past the French Press sieve, and made its way into my cup. Capricorn: when looking at this week’s stars, think about that coffee, tastes great, does its job, but the bottom part of the cup has some sediment that might not be good to consume. Sip, don’t chug, and for your own good? Maybe don’t slurp the last of the dregs out of the bottom of your cup.

Aquarius

I am a fan of both “Eastern” and “Western” medicine. I like both “holistic” and “scientific” version of the medical arts. With that in mind, I was undergoing a round of treatments, minor treatments, but it did entail me spending an inordinate amount of time in doctors’ offices’ waiting rooms. Now, with repetitive practices, I learned to make sure I always had a book to read as the various office’s reading material was sad, the streaming news worse, and idle chitchat long in the tooth for me. Dull office music, too. Take earphones next time. That’s more a reminder to myself than a note to Aquarius. However, this is about listening to that casual chatter, coupled with a pair of administrative nurse types behind a counter, only the tops of their heads visible, and the low murmur of commentary. Boys, concerts, complaints about aging parents, the conversation, the inter-office diatribes, and running snippets of conversation, all sound the same. Best choice right now? Sit back, like me, and use that bookmark, plus a pencil stub, to make notes. Nothing elaborate or complex, just pen, paper, and book in front of me, then the envelope or scrap of paper I used for a bookmark? Make the notes there. Simple. Easy. You wouldn’t believe what was happening with that one person’s significant other!

Pisces

I’ve been taking a kind of supplement, a dietary addition, for some years now. I like the stuff. Medical benefits, according to the labels? Immense. Actual, verified, double-blind, peer-reviewed data, and studies? Not quite as thorough, and might not be as strong a validation, but for me, my digestion seems to be better, and I feel better taking this one supplement. I was running low, the other day, and I was thinking I would get some at the big warehouse store, and then promptly forgot it. Wasn’t on the shopping list. It tends to be less expensive there. I thought about getting some on Amazon, as the instant delivery is good, and prices are competitive, but I just needed a bottle of supplement pills, not like it was a major order. Finally, I looked at the grocery store, and the chain carries a version of the supplement pills as well, just a bit more pricey than either of the previous two choices. At the end of the day, I looked — and passed — three different sources for the supplement, and at the beginning of the next day, I smacked my forehead because I forgot to actually buy from any of those three places. I was paralyzed, unable to decide, and therefore, out of supplement pills because of my paralysis by analysis. Pisces: don’t let this happen to you; remember to buy from one of the places. Doesn’t matter, just get something.

Aries

One year, just at this time, there was a sprinkling of snow, more like a fairy dusting of white on the shoulders and peaks of some mountains in Colorado. One year, just at this time Austin was the hottest — highest — temperatures (in the US) for about three days. The point is about the heat, the cold, the temperature, and what is a going on in Aries and the Aries slice of the heavens. The heat is not an impediment in my own world, raised as I was in the desert southwest, nor is the bone-chilling cold of Colorado a problem. However, to each Aries, individually, these present obstacles, of problems in position, and there’s no easy answer as Mr. Mars is going to slink through Cancer, and that makes everything less comfortable than we like. If you don’t like cold, you’re looking at that dusting of snow on the mountains’ shoulders and peaks. If you don’t like heat, record scorcher down here. Depends. Depends on where you are and what Mars-like discomfort serves best to get the job done. Aries discomfort is motivation to act.

Taurus

In its simplest form, so common today? “You like our app?” Hit 5 stars. “Would you write a review?” Say no, or write a bad review, and that goes to different contact form, not the App Store itself. It’s a very simple example of how an algorithm works. To me, it’s an answer tree. One software sales person was urging me to install a chat-bot on my site. Presumably, it was for customer service, but I’m not sure. One small company that I use for technical service advertises “live” help almost around the clock, but in reality? It’s one of about three technicians, or the owner himself, in the office, and answering questions. When it’s not live, there’s a simple tree, and the same points can be accessed from within the help file. I’ve had “help” files and answers to most Frequently Asked Questions on my various sites for years. Some of my own material is dated. This is about how we — excuse me — this is about how Taurus arrives at a decision. The “automated chatbot” is an example — look at a typical help file, same goal and direction. One buddy complains bitterly about the doctor’s office phone, “press one for …” and the examples abound in our post-modern world. But what does drive that Taurus decision? Do you like our app? Rate us on the App Store.

Gemini

The expression is “Screwed, blued, and tattooed.” Originally, I thought it meant something along the lines of a naval term and situation that didn’t go well; however, subsequent online searching? It could also derive from a toolmaker/machinist’s term, as in, “Insure all the screws are tightened, the metal has been blued, and the inspector’s inscription is affixed (a tattoo, if you will).” When I first heard the term, and as I’ve heard it again, I assumed that the expression was about something being done, in finality, and not in a good way. Urban etymology appears to paint a slightly different image. The current question for Gemini, one of many questions, but an over-aching theme, are you using the correct expression, and are you using the words correctly? This might require a little more than a quick web search, and just because it was on a web page doesn’t mean it’s correct, but that’s a good start. I don’t want you to wind up screwed, blued, and tattooed.

Or do we?

Cancer

I got one buddy, and I could just see him doing this. Wasn’t him, not this time, but it would be easy enough to visualize him the same spot, same place, “I was being careful; I had a safety harness.” It was a bucket lift truck, and bucket was ten feet in the air, then the worker was standing on the rim off the bucket to get just a little higher to finish wiring a sign. He didn’t want to lift the bucket any higher, although, it looked like there was plenty of boom-arm left, and it could’ve been stretched further up. No pictures, and some would simply refer to this as “Redneck engineering,” but the idea, and I get it, in the moment? It made perfect sense. Just needed a little extra lift, no need to climb down, adjust the bucket’s height, then climb back up, when simply stepping on the rim of the upraised bucket itself would be the right amount of space to step up. As a passing observer, I thought, “What could wrong,” with a bullet list in my head of safety violations, problems, and consequences. However, let’s pause and reflect, in the moment, it was the simplest answer to that worker’s question. Bucket lift truck, bucket in the air, guy standing on the rim of the bucket, like seriously?

The Leo

I clicked around, and wound up following a certain person online, via social media. The conversations were scintillating, laced with innuendo, borderline inappropriate, and quite fun. We align politically, morally, and emotionally. Then it happens. “I tried grits.” What followed was several days of diatribes against a great dish. In part, some of my heritage is “Southern,” and so “grits” figures as a mainstay of the diet. Several local places offer it as a side dish, and most of these places don’t do justice to the bland dish, as that requires a certain degree of culinary art. I understand that the dish, just alone, needs help. Cheese, like cheese grits, or just a slab or butter and some brown sugar, all of this helps. Garlic cheese grits? Shrimp and grits? Cajun seasoning? Adds personality to the food, brings needed texture and flavor. I’m in the “pro-grits” category, and I’ll defend my choices. Seeing someone I admire just attempt to ruin a favorite side dish? Mercilessly attack a gentle side dish for no reason? What did I do? Get enflamed and fight back? Why? We agree about so much, and I can understand why an ignorant fool wouldn’t appreciate the fine culinary applications available for grits, so I get it. What I did? This was social media, I just scrolled right past, bemused. Didn’t un-follow, didn’t write hate mail, didn’t post mean things, no response. Just ignored the parts where the person didn’t like grits. Simple as that, for the mighty Leo. “Don’t like grits? Your loss.”

• Aperture: ƒ/1.8
• Camera: iPad Pro (11-inch)
• Taken: 29 November, 2022
• Flash fired: no
• Focal length: 3mm
• ISO: 64
• Shutter speed: 1/60s