Got this from angelus2hot back on the 13th August. Life has been so topsy-turvy and stressed out that I never did get around to responding properly, but thanks so much to whoever nominated me.
Not sure I'll ever know how to handle people being nice to me; not a huge part of my life experience growing up.
But thank you whoever you are.
~~~
Congratulations!
You have been nominated at No Rest For The Wicked Awards in the following categories:
It's been a topsy-turvy day with this post. That's woman_of_ with me in the icon there; shall have to change my lj one to match. kazzy_cee let me know that she passed away some while back. I think maybe the Goddess decided I was finally in a place where I could hear the news.
Following is pretty much the post I've been trying to make all today.
From facebook earlier...
Today is going to be tough. I was supposed to be travelling by now. Tomorrow; even though I would have been in Newry for Pride will be easier. I will go to the Peace Garden (my capitalisation) to think of who I would have been there for, but also about my niece,Sarah Jane, who is getting married.
There will be others to; though I never knew him; principal amongst them will be David Lavery, who I really only knew as a name amongst those who were part of the SlayerLit group; one of the first I joined when I became a serious part of Buffy fandom. His passing reminds me of other fans I have known over the years, who have died; mostly without my being aware until long after, so I shall think of them as well.
Mostly it will be tough today in a selfish way, as I need to get my self-pity out of the way, so I can be there for all of them tomorrow.
Goddess willing I will.
Kerk(evik) TehKek Hiraeth
Wasn't going to have a vid when I shared that here, but then I saw this and thought of woman_of_ who has been absent from our lives for far too long. Not having had any news of her for so long I can't help but think the worst, but if you are out there and still checking in once in a while I hope you see this and know you are badly missed.
I saw this and felt tears that I haven't tried harder to find out what's happening with you. I will think of you tomorrow as well.
Recently i decided that, rather like some of my stories, my muse started to tell me I was telling the wrong one.
I began to see I was looking for the wrong name, so I thought, and decided that TehKek should be the middle name I thought I was searching for.
Thus Kerkevik TehKek ?????
Then I saw this in my lj inbox.
So... Kerkevik TehKek Hiraeth ~ Kerk for short, and a link, if you squint, to my birth-name; also a character I called and called Rae something like two decades ago when I wrote a few original stories.
What do you think?
Spread the word; feedback on this would be much appreciated.
Image copyrightMARIEM TAHAImage captionMariem Taha, her daughter and Babsy Rock
"No one can tell you that we are a nation without hope."
Words from a viral Facebook post in praise of Egyptian animal lovers who acted to save a puppy that was trapped under large stone boulders for more than three weeks.
The puppy had reportedly been abandoned to a slow lingering death by its owners. But a group of volunteers banded together to mobilise a rescue mission which hundreds of thousands followed on social media.
Image copyrightASHRAF SULTAN / IMGURImage captionRescuers stepped in when the puppy was left to die by its owners
The story begins in early July when Mariem Taha, a 36-year-old resident of Egypt's port city Alexandria, began to hear the unsettling sound of whimpering when she was at a cafe on the famous sea front corniche.
"It was very upsetting sound so I asked the cafe owner what it was, " Taha told BBC Trending, "He said that on the previous day some people had a come with a puppy and the puppy had fallen in between the gaps of the of some stone boulders. The people then abandoned the puppy. The whimpering was very upsetting so I decided to go in search of the puppy.
"The first three days I could hear the puppy but I couldn't see her. So I wasn't sure where to throw food for her, and she may have been scared. By the third day, she was familiar with my voice so she appeared in the gaps. I couldn't reach for her but I could feed her. I decided to name her Babsy Rock."
Taha returned daily to feed Babsy Rock but couldn't work out a way to rescue her. So she turned to a Facebook group called 'Save Innocent Souls'. The group was known to be frequented by animal welfare activists. A post requesting help was met with several people offering to help.
The progress of the rescue was documented on social media and this gallery has been viewed more than 300,000 times online on the photo sharing site IMGUR.
Image copyrightREEM MANSOUR FACEBOOK
After persistent lobbying, the local authority sent a crane to aid the rescue.
Image copyrightREEM MANSOUR
And Babsy Rock was finally freed having spent a total of around 25 days under the rocks.
Image copyrightIMGURImage captionVolunteer with Babsy Rock
The rescuers told Mariem of Dr Mahmoud Abdelmaksoud a local vet who did check up on Babsy Rock.
Image copyrightAMR HOSNY PHOTOGRAPHYImage captionDr Abdelmaksoud has been described as a hero
"Dr Abdelmaksoud is an incredible man, a hero. Many volunteers call him to check up on the animals they have rescued and he offers his services for free," says Mau Hamada, who is the founder of one of the animal rescue groups in Alexandria. Hers is called Animal Zone and she says that they are completely volunteer based, and accept no donations.
"Social media was crucial in the rescue of Babsy Rock. Mariem's posts on Facebook mobilised a lot of us volunteers and many people pitched in with the rescue. A lot of information is shared on digital platforms so that we can do our work," Hamada told Trending, "There are dozens of people in Alexandria helping to rescue animals, they either work in self-organised groups like us or individually."
Campaigners have often been critical of Egypt's record on animal welfare. Mau Hamada says that there a range of factors which can result in the mistreatment of animals; "the fear of stray animals, sadistic individuals and some people that say that dogs are not a welcome part of Islam, although they are in the minority."
Image copyrightMARIEM TAHAImage captionBabsy Rock at Mariem Taha's house post rescue
But there was a happy ending for Babsy Rock who has been adopted by Mariem Taha. And how is she doing now?
"She's very naughty," laughs Taha.
Blog by Megha Mohan and additional reporting by Abdirahim Saeed
Goddess watch over us all,
Instead of my usual here; to honour these wonderful people I put this...
I have experience 4. Komorebi (Japanese) - This is the word the Japanese have for when sunlight filters through the trees - the interplay between the light and the leaves. myself; at dawn, looking out across The Hoe in Plymouth, in the late nineties, with an African-American ex-Naval Officer who told me he always visited the spot whenever he was in the are on business; because it was his favourite place to visit when his ship was at the Naval base
Had a nightmare end to my hours at the library; which at once reminded me why I hate having to go to the library at all these days, made me wish I was not a member of the same species as some people, and ended with that person making me feel even less well about myself; so much that I actually felt I suicidal for a short while, or at least remembered painfully what it felt like.
Fortunately I was able to access nearby free wi-fi nearby, and sit glancing every little while at the war memorial.
She's twenty-one with autism; non-verbal (she didn't even communicate until she was eleven) and she dreams of being a talk show host. If that doesn't pan out I think she try stand-up.
first post of 2016 is just a message to say I spent, in what seems likely to become a regular thing, for the second year in a row the new year having a nice long warm soak in the bath; only knowing the year has turned by the noise of fireworks outside.
I can't recall what music I listened to last year, but this I was, and still am, listening to the soundtrack CD of Band of Brothers.
Specifically it was Beethoven's String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131 that was playing when the fireworks outside started going off.
Given the episode that featured in I feel that the Goddess was giving me something to think about.
Anyway, have a happy; relaxing and hopefully fic-happy 2016 one and all.
Goddess watch over us all,
Kerk TehKek
Current Mood:relaxed
Current Location:Sector 001
Current Music:Plaisir d'Amour/Eugene's Prayer from Band of Brothers OST
This may seem like not a bad thing, which is indeed true, but it's also something for which it seems my psyche is totally unprepared to deal with.
This weekend I have been down in Yorkshire, and have not long been returned, visiting one of my best friends and her family.
Elisi you are a wonderful Human Being and I wish I'd grown up in a family like yours so very, very much.
I have asperger's and I can get very hyperly over-excited in new and strange situations; exhibiting all the symptoms of full-blown panic attacks. This seemed to be on the edge of happening for a good part of early Saturday, as elisi was showing me around a small part of Wakefield (more about that in another post).
Anyhow, to the point ie. that nomination for The Seekers.
I have had a very strange and, even for me, who is not one who can easily accept compliments, unexpected reaction. Thank you so much for whoever nominated me; that has to be said first of all. I wouldn't want to take that back for all the world. Still I have found myself almost totally unable to know how to deal with this. Thankfully I've managed to have a relatively calm conversation with elisi about the situation.
I couldn't have asked for a better friend in my time of need.
This will have to be edited before posting; partly because the wi-fi on the train isn't free and won't let me use my dongle, but also because I want a sane person to look it over.
Guess who? :-) Thank heavens for word is all I can say here :-) Hopefully this will all make sense when it is read, and I will get a few votes. To be honest I feel like I've already won though. Even getting no votes could change that. It has proved to me that I am, beyond all doubt, a very strange person.
Thanking the Goddess for you all, 'tis ok to be Takei, Kerk TehKek
Current Mood:grateful
Current Location:Blairgowrie, Sector 001
Current Music:5 Live Science from the BBC Radio iPlayer
I learned today that a beloved friend lost a beloved friend of her own. She and that friend's sister are in pain just now. I'm feeling pain of my own; for them, and for the furry friends I've lost over the years.
For Tibby and Tuppence; for Bimbo and Tessa; for Tiger; Snowy and Pharoah, and many I knew who must be gone to pastures new where they can chase cars, and mice, or rabbits.
This is for Kira; whom I never met, for Arline and her other furry friend Chloe.
This is also for Amber Benson and the character she made live, over whom Arline and I bonded.
Poem for a cat I never met
I touch them as they snuggle; feeling tears for you I remember friends I have lost who comforted me as they do; feeling tears for you I recall a Rabbit who made me cry; outwitting one of them; feeling tears for when you made her laugh I know they are lost; I felt lost when they died; whom I loved I know that these three who have stolen my heart will one day make me feel these tears, as they feel tears Tears I feel for you though I never met you I knew you because they loved you Farewell; friend. Rest now by the fire, and sleep.
for Arline, my friend; Chloe who is still with her, and for GrPr. Devorgilla Morgan - Kira - 03/02/97 - 28/03/15.
Goddess watch over us all, 'tis ok to be Takei, Kerk TehKek
2) I thought it woul dbe nice to invite anyone reading this in time to come along to a ds9_rewatch of one of the finest examples of science-fiction on TV; let alone one of the best of all Trek episodes; "Duet" which starts here http://ds9-rewatch.livejournal.com/267869.html in about forty-five minutes. There will be a second chance seven hours later (Midnight for me in the UK) and again on Tuesday (8pm for me).
3) I have started the process of training my brain to my new name; even though I have yet to find the middle name I seek. Kerkevik TehKek; Kerk for short, though I will still always answer to Ray.
Spent new year's surrounded by mah kittehs and lit candles, while soaking in the bath. Listening to A Christmas Carol from xmas day, and looking forward to my new hardback; illustrated edition of Watership Down.
Something I want to share before the first of this month passes. I have decided; somewhat because of facebook policies to do something I have been promising myself I would do for decades.
I am going to officially change my name.
Kerkevik will become my given name, and a friend has given me permission to use her online name as my surname. There is, apart from the legal processes, one other thing I need to decide though.
And that is what my middle name will be. Another thing I will be doing as soon as I can afford it, is get a labrys tattoo on my left wrist. My middle name must reflect my belief in the Goddess as well.
Not as thanks; nor as asking for protection, but reflecting rather that I have chosen to follow a path; not as a servant, or as a believer in a religion, but as a follower of a path that I believe She has set me on.
I cannot, and will never see the end of that path, but I do believe I am on one.
What I need to do is search the languages of the world for a name that reflects that path and my belief that it is the She wants me to be on.
Any help in making that choice will be most gratefully received.
Thank you for listening.
Goddess watch over us all, 'tis ok to be Takei, Ray.
(I will always answer to that btw; one cannot, and should not deny what one has been, even if it doesn't reflect who you are anymore; most people online know me as Kerk, or kerkevik now, so facebook has made me realise that the time has come to reflect the changes that have happened)
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angelus2hot back on the 13th August. Life has been so topsy-turvy and stressed out that I never did get around to responding properly, but thanks so much to whoever nominated me. 
:origin()/pre12/4a39/th/pre/i/2011/304/c/2/it__s_okay_to_be_takei_by_afina79-d4eo6rg.jpg)
