Hi!

Some of you may know me as Clio, some may know me as my old names Christa or Christa McGinn. I have been on E for almost 14 years, and although there have been breaks due to health and other personal things, I have met some of the most important people in my life here and consider E a vital part of my life and history.

That's not what this blog will be about, though. I actually joined E when I was working on my history degree, and celebrated as I graduated all those years ago. I am now in school for my master's degree in archaeology and anthropology, with a certificate in social justice. The only thing I have left now is my thesis.

All that was just to give a bit of background and to reassure you that I know at least a bit about what I'll write on. However, I will never claim to be an expert on all areas of history, as that wouldn't be possible. I have certain areas I'm interested in, but some require more research on my part than others. One are...

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First off: I am not a chef; I am, however, a cook. I could go so far as to say I am not a baker either, not really, but I will occasionally put various things into ovens. I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who go to the various culinary schools around the world but I did not. Yes, I spent the better half of two decades working in various restaurants but I peaked at “manager.”  Most of the posts here will be food and drink recipes, stuff I make or have made, stuff I am trying out and so on. I had been on a big Mediterranean Kick as of late but that has stopped for...

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So, as some people here know, out in the Real World beyond our tight cybercommunity- it still exists, trust me, though in somewhat degraded form- I'm a professional musician.  Oh, I've done other things. I have and still do teach at a variety of levels- most people in the business do, even if they don't 'need' the money; it's an odd combination of truly wanting to share our art and experience with younger up-and-comers and the shoring up of the fragile-yet-often-immense egos so common in our field by showing that we 'know better' than someone else.

I've delivered bad restaurant food. For a while, I worked at a New Age bookstore and head shop- the stories from THAT place would be worth a blog in themselves. I even dipped a few toetips in the shallow pool of non-profit arts consulting, but that's long since gone by the boards, devoured by economic slumps and larger and more versatile groups with, admittedly, more and better-trained staff.  Funny how the most underfunded non-p...

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I've tried to explain this to several people over the years and people look at me like I'm crazy. So, I'm going to try to explain it here and see if it doesn't ring true for other creators, just in case someone out there knows what it is I am talking about.

Growing up, I was a bit of a spacey kid, often los...

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As the Three Kingdoms era of China was coming to a close, there were two empires that remained in contention for total control; Jin and Wu. Among these forces were two enemy tacticians that had strained themselves and their armies against one another on the frontlines of war; Yang Hu (styled 'Shuzi') of Jin and Lu Kang (styled 'Youjie') of Wu.

Despite being enemies after a major conflict, the two had entered a détente -- or, an 'easing of strained relations'. During this time, the two had a strange friendship from their sides of the theatre of war. Lu Kang had once sent wine to Yang Hu, who drank it without any suspicion. Later on, Lu Kang was reported to fall sick. Yang Hu had sent medicine to him in response, to which Lu Kang also took without suspecting anything. The people of that time remarked that the relationship between Lu Kang and Y...

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This is what I tell myself. To shed that anxiety and stress when going outside in this current environment.

Not entirely Patch Adams in intention, though it more relates to the channeling of Law of Attraction. To focus on what brings joy. A Kondo'ing of the mind.

The grass is a lush green, sun-baked underneath a clear and beautiful sky. I laugh given the irony of the situation. It is a beautiful day, and most of known human life in my area have to stay home. A fortunate opportunity for me, given that I live in the outskirts by no man's land.

No neighborhood dogs roaming around, no delinquents causing a fuss. No neighbors partying until 4 a.m.

Nice.

Quiet.

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Exegesis is a fancy-pants term for reading a text, usually a religious text, and attempting to critically interpret the meaning of the work. It’s “Bible study” but what is studied about the Bible is its literary and rhetorical composition. It’s not taking for granted the truth of the accounts, but the meaning the author is attempting to convey through the use of relevant cultural references, language, and literary techniques. Essentially, it involves the analysis of the stories and texts through the eyes of the literary critic or folklorist examining any other piece of ancient mythology.

Before I go on, I do want to take a moment to discuss what I mean when I say that something is a myth. There ar...

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First and foremost I want to thank the staff for the opportunity for allowing me to help raise awareness of Emotional abuse, the members and other guests taking the time to read this as well and hopefully help spread the awareness, in helping other people like me find the strength to break the cycle of abuse.




This...

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[floatleft][img width=250 padding=5]https://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/172/1720905/3549616-review_imperatorrome.jpg[/img][/floatleft]The Roman Republic is a fascinating subject of study for the student of history. One of the biggest things you’ll learn if you trace the rise and fall of the Republic is just how virulently anti-monarchical the Romans were. From legend, this is a repudiation of the idea of absolute power in the hands of a single person after the Rape of Lucretia, which probably never happened any more than George Washington and his Cherry Tree, but as founding myths go, it does a wonderful job of telling the allegory of Roman hatred of monarchy. Even centuries later, the rumor that Tiberius Gracchus had ask...

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