Distances

Distances

I’ve seen, I’ve covered, thousands of miles, just in-state, for work. I easily recall a thirty-day period that bounced me from the Louisiana border — deep East Texas — to El Paso, far West Texas. Points in between, Austin, San Antonio, oil patch, gulf coast.

In my mind, airports are the train stations from a hundred years ago. So that tale of travel when Mercury was Retrograde? I used to love to travel. The rule?

Might not wind up where I think I should be, but I always wind up where I am supposed to be.

Which is a simplified guiding principle for Retrograde Mercury times.

If only there was a manual….

the Portable Mercury Retrograde

Portable Mercury Retrograde – Kramer Wetzel

Portable Mercury Retrograde: astrofish.net’s Mercury in Retrograde

Distractions

Distractions

Yes, Mercury is Retrograde. As a writer, I’ve long developed easy methodology and processes to help me remain productive during stressful times like this.

Poking around on a site, I found a link to a page with a heading, “YouTube channels for writers.”

I did not click through. I have a burgeoning shelf full of ‘writer porn,’ mostly just grammar books of that fun ilk, confessions of a typesetter, &c. The problem that the idea of that channel poses, for me?

It’s distractions.

Wandering off into a link-bait infested target like that? Hours, days, weeks wasted on trying to figure out how to be a writer. Writing prompts, setting goals, directions, plot, story, and character? All part of it, but yeah, don’t need to the distractions.

Comes a time when less talking, clicking, reading, less “thinking about it,” and more doing it. This year’s series of Mercury Retrograde cycles?

There are two components to this cycle, water and air. Water represents emotion, and air represents thought. Thinking, thought processes, the way we think about stuff. But it all starts in that water-based emotional seat.

“Feelings” are valid, but in the coming weeks? They can be very distracting. What “felt true” at the time? Subsequent investigation might prove the “feeling” data misleading.

Which is what to watch for: Distractions.

Distractions

Portable Mercury Retrograde

the Portable Mercury Retrograde

Portable Mercury Retrograde – Kramer Wetzel

Portable Mercury Retrograde: astrofish.net’s Mercury in Retrograde

Price versus Cost Revisited

Price versus Cost Revisited

As part of the evolution of an ongoing Mercury Retrograde set of rituals, I was looking for coffee. I’ve read this two ways: don’t buy big box warehouse coffee, and do buy big box warehouse coffee.

To be fair, I go through a lot of coffee when Mercury is in apparent retrograde motion, so the point becomes moot.

I’ll go through a couple of the two-pound bags in a single week. Grocery store, chain store, or, my current preference, Costco? Sure, that works.

It’s plentiful, it’s “good enough,” and it’s cheap. Relatively speaking, really cheap.

A while back, as part of this discussion, I bought a nickel-bag of artisanal coffee beans. Little baggie cost upwards of $15. Had enough beans for a single pot and then two pour-over cups. Mugs. Big mugs, but still, just a mug, so that was about four, maybe eight cups of coffee. Expensive beans.

Worth it?

Price versus Cost Revisited

Last summer, I’m thinking, I bought an add-on piece of software, an extension to the basic WordPress backend that I’ve been using, a database that drives the graphic display. Simple enough piece of software, and an interesting developer I’ve used, over the years. Ten years or more, now, I think.

The software itself wasn’t too pricey, just $37. Price versus Costrevisited.

The first part of the installation was simple enough, and it lead to a long list of ‘read me’ sections on the development site, plus questions, answers, and then, the software “revved.” It went through two-three iterations inside of a 24 maybe 48-hour time frame. Each was an answer to question that hadn’t been asked yet, and each revision did exactly what it was supposed to do, in its way, and software re-writes addressed new problems, and compatibility issues.

The “price” wasn’t too much. The cost, in terms of labor and ongoing development support? I don’t know, but it looks like a losing proposition, from a strictly business — pluses and minuses — point.

For me, the price clearly outweighed the cost. As that software, I eventually abandoned it, but for a while, it worked well, and the developer had to add a bit of code to make it specifically compliant for my site, which in turn, cost more effort and why it was good example of “Price versus Cost,” as I got more out of it than that initial price.

That was definitely worth it.

Price versus Cost Revisited

When Mercury is Retrograde, I get stuck in a negative loop about what is best, and then, the definitions of words, and wondering what is best, and what’s the more correct form. In the situation where it’s “price versus cost,” I get confused about meaning, definitions, and what the real cost is, as opposed to what the price might be advertised as.

I make a sincere effort to stay clear of any kind of “barter” economy, not for philosophical reasons, no, but because, early in this career, I amassed way more in potential trades than I ever garnered in actual goods delivered. As an example? A massage therapist. I would accumulate a half dozen promises for a full a message and receive nothing in exchange for my time and expertise. So I kind of stopped with the bartering. Didn’t work out for me.

Price versus Cost Revisited

Previously, price versus cost.

The pitch? astrofish.net/about.

the Portable Mercury Retrograde

Portable Mercury Retrograde
Portable Mercury Retrograde – Kramer Wetzel

Portable Mercury Retrograde: astrofish.net’s Mercury in Retrograde

#Mercury

#Retrograde

Sunday in San Antonio

Sunday in San Antonio

Sunday in San Antonio — Live Oak, TX (in the shadow of the IKEA) — an answer to the question….

Hermit 2020

Hermit 2020

What does Mercury Retrograde hold?

The Hermit Card represents being alone, but look carefully, at his heels, there’s the three-headed hound of hell. Yet, looking forward, he has a lantern that shines with a special, spiritual light. Virgo thing, it’s mercurial, at best.

  • See listing for details —

Sunday! Sunday in San Antonio!

astrofish.net/travel for details

On a Sunday in San Antonio

Mercury is Retrograde now? What to do?

Keep Calm and See Kramer

Curious as to the astrological details? There are two sources of data, seeing me in San Antonio this weekend — or the weekly horoscopes. “It’s really him.”

Portable Mercury Retrograde – Kramer Wetzel

Portable Mercury Retrograde: astrofish.net’s Mercury in Retrograde

Bexar County Line

San Pedro Creek

astrofish.net/travel

Vincit Qui Primum Gerit

“First to arrive gets the best deal.”

Weekly Notify Email

Coming Sunday in San Antonio

Coming Sunday in San Antonio

woman hollering creek

woman hollering creek

Sunday in San Antonio, an answer to the question….
Price Selection Convenience

Price Selection Convenience

What does Mercury Retrograde hold?

  • See listing for details —

Sunday! Sunday in San Antonio!

astrofish.net/travel for details

On a Sunday in San Antonio

Mercury is Retrograde next month? What to do?

Keep Calm and See Kramer

Curious as to the astrological details? There are two sources of data, seeing me in San Antonio this weekend — or the weekly horoscopes. “It’s really him.”

Portable Mercury Retrograde – Kramer Wetzel

Portable Mercury Retrograde: astrofish.net’s Mercury in Retrograde

Bexar County Line

San Pedro Creek

astrofish.net/travel

Vincit Qui Primum Gerit

“First to arrive gets the best deal.”

Weekly Notify Email

Iconic Diner Jim’s

Iconic Diner Jim’s

There are two, maybe three or four, locations that I can say I frequent, not with any great regularity, but often enough to have enjoyed the subtle nuance between the various locations.

Over the years, I’ve noted this several times, the places tend to be 24-hour, and they tend to be traditional diner fare, in the best way possible.

9 PM on a Thursday, worn out from a business deal? Stop at Jim’s along the way home. Eggs, cooked to perfection, and flat-ironed bacon, yeah, done the right way.

Checks all the right boxes: senior platters with heart-smart, smaller portions. Big platters filled with an obscene amount of traditional American breakfast fare. Pretty sure every location I’ve been to has a counter, overlooking the kitchen window, and perched upon those counter stools? Patrons of various ilks, cops, robbers, out-laws, and in-laws.

One of the best was as near-freezing cold, winter morning, off to Austin for a long day of work. Bundled in, belly up to the counter, eggs and bacon, maybe pancakes slathered in butter, biscuit and gravy, perfectly rich meal, and then, about five or six cups of coffee.

What’s fun is that the individual store fronts vary in flavor. It is a chain, but then, located only in Austin and San Antonio, with most of it being just in San Antonio? Yes, local flavor.

24-hour? Most of them. Counter? Yes. Breakfast all day? Yes.

Coffee?

Pie?

Checks them all.

Iconic Diner Jim’s

Jim’s Restaurants

astrofish.net/travel

astrofish.net