Ruminations from the Temple

I love this blog. It seems to be a refuge in a way other venues just cannot. It is no wonder that throughout history people have withdrawn to writing as a way to both record moments and history, and to think deeply about their human experience. And, what's not to love about that? As the fog moves up the canal this late December morning, I am again awed at the place I find myself. Call it fortunate, or blessed, or just plumb-ass lucky...I am so very grateful for my circumstances. I think the seagulls that bob along with the winter migrating ducks agree. So, a bit of clearing the clutter is in order, I suppose. I took the luxury, during this school break, to clean out my closet. Gosh, I have another bag to give to donation; at the risk of sounding redundant, have you checked out the Fast-Diet  yet? It is neither a fast nor a diet, but I have been quite successful in dropping pounds and improving my health - which is the major benefit. Anyway, it was nice to clear out the old ...

Chuck has finished his Star Wars art-quilt - isn't it great?? That is a lot of artistic work you are lookin' at, there...he says it is a meditation for him. Mindful sewing, indeed. Somehow, it seems to go with a new book we just received entitled The Tao of Yoda , by D.W. Kreger. Here is a sneak-peak: "...So, we wanted to see what would happen if we substituted the words 'Force' or the 'Way of the Force' everywhere the Chinese character Tao appears. Then everywhere it says 'holy man' we put 'Jedi.' The result was simply astonishing. It was a perfect fit..." If you are in the dark about the Tao Te Ching , it is the thought by scholars to be prehistory oral tradition of teachings given to Confucius by his teacher, Lao Tsu . The mysterious philosophical teachings were written down approximately 2,600 years ago--when it was already centuries old--becoming the foundation of Taoism . These writings could be the oldest known writings on...

Like millions of other fans, we saw it - the long-awaited new Star Wars film, the Force Awakens. Let me just say up front—a small disclaimer—that I am not your average Star Wars fan. Further, I am not a fangirl in the sense that I have to buy every t-shirt and action figure that hits the store shelves…well, mostly (I do love my Jedi robes). I am the fan that thrives on the story, the details, the philosophy, the technology, the backstories…you get the gist. I live in the mind of the characters, and in the maker. I don’t care as much about the ‘ride’ of an action-packed movie as much as how much it makes me think. In fact, while I appreciate the thrill of a good dog-fight over an exotic planet, that is not what makes the movie for me. I guess when you wait for a couple years, then experience the massive amounts of hype, by both the media, the producer et al., and the fans, you may be set up for a little disappointment by the reality. I don’t know that I would say full-on ...

What a wonderful troop! Padawan and I accompanied Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (disguised as Old Ben) down to the beautiful Rose City to participate in the oh-so-fun Starlight Parade. This was our second time of marching in this nighttime affair, although it has been a couple of years. Absolutely love the people of Portland who come out and cheer on the marching bands, dancers, drill teams and charities that parade through the streets of downtown. I had way too much fun struttin' a little Jedi attitude, swingin' that lightsaber and makin' kids of all ages smile. We did manage to snap a few pics with my phone camera while we were 'staged' and waiting for our turn to go... Padawan the smiley Jedi standin' around shmoozin' Obi-Wan stands guard It was an honor to troop alongside the Cloud City Garrison once again - what a great group of costumers! the tradition!

The Promised Review We, Padawan and myself, took the plunge and purchased lower-end sabers from Ultra Saber, LLC . We came across this maker of prop and dueling lightsabers when we met the gentlemen representing the company at the Western Washington Fair. After some investigation, and collecting of necessary discretionary cash, we each purchased blades to be used specifically for night parades where 'light-ups' are required.  I chose the Standard Issue Battle Saber v3 (shown below). Padawan chose the Aeon saber. Ordering was easy and quick. We chose the mid-grade blades , and no bells and whistles; basic sabers for parades and photo shoots, although I did upgrade to the arctic blue blade for an extra $5. (The cost, even with shipping, of both of these sabers was less than one of the blades we purchased from SaberForge a while back.) We ordered these on a Wednesday, received timely email confirmation and shipping information, and had them in-hand the following Monday. Fr...

Before I say anything, I must reveal that this movie is my favorite of the saga. Yes, I know...Jar Jar Binks. Yes, Yoda looked kinda strange and bug-eyed. Yes, Jake Lloyd was rather difficult on the set. Regardless, I thrill every time I see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan make their appearance, and laugh when Jar Jar makes a fool of himself. I love the costumes, the philosophy, the dialog and the story. I love it all...and have to admit that I have probably watched/listened to this movie at the very least 50 times, or more (that may be a bit of an underestimate). Having said all that, you may be thinking, "why in the world review it, then?" I want to tell you how exciting it was to see it on the big screen once again - 3D, no less! The pod race was beyond thrilling for me. The space battle was even more epic than before. In fact, I turned to my companions several times and said, "this is a completely new movie!!" For me, it was. The details of the costumes, the detai...

For a few years now I have been kickin' around this idea of attachment. I've often thought that if I wasn't so danged attached, things wouldn't have to hurt so much when they fall apart. But, isn't attaching to others natural and good? Are we not intended to involve and invest ourselves, intertwine our lives and experiences with others? I've always thought the answer was a resounding affirmative. "The fear of loss is a path to the dark side... attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is." These words haunt me, as I have struggled with loss in my life. In the fictional Jedi philosophy, attachment is strongly discouraged. The reasoning is clear; emotional attachment clouds objective judgment (think of the classic image of Lady Justice wearing a blindfold). It would take the most disciplined mind to remain objective towards someone emotionally close, especially if there were many shared experiences between them. Naturally, we feel sympa...

photo credit:  Taylor Ford A few years ago, Padawan and I traveled down to OMSI to check out the Star Wars - Science Meets Imagination exhibit.  It was wonderful even though at the time we were not costumers.   What?? There was a time when we weren't costuming?  Well, actually, yes there was.  But, it wasn't long after checking out the props, models and incredible costumes that we got the costuming bug! we sure enjoyed a ride on the Millennium Falcon! So, it was only fitting to go and see it again - especially since it was being featured at our own Pacific Science Center.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to actually 'troop' it in costume due to personal circumstances and scheduling conflicts, but we were with our costuming friends in spirit, for sure.  I was very happy to photograph, scrutinize, analyze and enjoy all the exhibits once again. I hope you do, too...

Oh my gosh, how in the world do you debrief a comic book convention?  Absolutely overwhelming with every type of action figure, superhero, geek genre, science fiction nerd and don't forget the incredibly talented artists...what a crush!  This year Emerald City ComiCon was packed with, in my opinion, twice as many geeks and onlookers as last year.  I was told there was more media coverage, as well.  The line for photo ops with the 501st (Vader and his minions) was constant, as well as lines for popular artists and celebs like William Shatner (Captain Kirk, Star Trek) , Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker, Star Trek) , and Brent Spiner (Data, Star Trek) ...oh, and so many more.  This convention is really starting to attract some big names.  I do know that a few of my Star Wars buddies got to spend some down time with Mr. Frakes after the convention was done for the day...wow!! (click on the slideshow to go to my Fotki album) This year was a big Star Trek...

In my simple view of the world, the Jedi Code*, or philosophy, is amazingly close to the tenets of the faith called out in the Bible.  In discussing the parallels with my close circle of friends, my one non-Star Wars friend (who happens to be a devout Christian) wanted to see if she was getting the philosophy correct...in her own words, that is.  Below, each idea of the philosophy is listed first in bold, followed with my friend's paraphrase in italics.  Further, I have searched the Scriptures to find commands or verses corresponding to each idea.  An interesting search it has been. [*This is one form of the Jedi Code.  There are others that fit equally as well with Scripture.] Jedi respect each other, and all other life forms. Respect all of G-d's creation The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it. (Psalm 24:1) Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear G-d, honor the king. (1 Peter 2:7) ** Jedi must put the...

I think we throw the word obsessive around a little too loosely.  Have you ever thought that, as well?  I am as guilty as the next person; if you will look in the sidebar, one of the very first things you see is the definition of this blog, "This blog is the place where the different facets of my life collide; my faith, my hobbies and my obsessions..." Do I have obsessions...really? I have never thought too much about the word until confronted with the concern that I am obsessive with some aspects of my life - so much so that my life priorities are out of line.  Honestly, I never even considered that some may consider constructing and wearing a Jedi costume to charity events obsessive behavior.  Fun, maybe.  Geeky, yes.  But obsessive?  I don't think so, but since it was brought up, I want to respectfully consider the possibility. I also enjoy reading up on the fictional "Jedi philosophy" and drawing parallels and contrasts to a life of faith....

I love my hobbies.  Star Wars, letterboxing, photography...travel.  But there is one of my favorite pastimes that I don't know that I would categorize as a hobby, but I do find myself thinking about it often, and that is the search for the perfect boot. I appreciate all types of boots, believe me.  I have many pairs of boots for all occasions in my closet, to be sure.  But I'm not just looking for any boot, mind you...I'm on the hunt for The Perfect Jedi Boots. The burning question is this:  does The Perfect Jedi Boots exist? Please, someone tell me they do. Annie's tall boots The Perfect Jedi Boots would first and foremost be tall boots.  And not those mediocre, two inches shy of the knee that the fashion boots try to pass off as tall.  I mean all the way to the knee tall .  No pullin' them up to pretend tall.  And, not over the knee, either.  That would be too tall. Obi-Wan's Ep III version replica Next, they need t...

As shocking as it may be, there are some folks that think dressing up as Star Wars characters is just plain silly...perhaps even sinful.  *gasp*  I have been asked often times, "Why in the world would you want to do that?  Don't you have better things to do?"  Well, I suppose it depends upon your definition of better ... Today was the first Sunday of our Western Washington Fair, otherwise known as the Puyallup Fair.  This is our third year at this large fair and it is tons of fun.  In exchange for a donation to a local children's charity, the 501st and Rebel Legion agreed to arrive in costume to thrill the crowds.  I always wonder at these events how many photos are actually taken - hundreds, easily.  As I share some of the pics I snapped, I will try to enumerate why anyone would want to dress as a Star Wars character... ' 1.  You get to know really cool people like my Jedi friends here.  And who doesn't want more opportunities f...

So, while Celebration V was still at a fever pitch in Orlando, those of us in the Outer Rim (!!) got to meet some true, die-hard Disney fans.  What an interesting experience; hardcore Star Wars costumers and geeks thrust into a convention center filled with the most fannish of the Disney fans.  I think they were as fascinated as we were! Here's some pics from our charity troop at the PNW Mouse Meet... The Rebel Legion's Wild Ride! More information: Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet Disneyland may be more than 1,000 miles away, but Don Morin is aiming to bring its magic here. Saturday at the Lynnwood Convention Center, he debuts the second Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet, featuring Imagineers and even Tinker Bell herself. "Not everyone can get to Disneyland or Disney World all the time," said Morin, the 43-year-old coordinator who's been to both parks more than 100 times. "So this is an opportunity for folks to have fun in a related way and experience ...