Profile
|
||||||
| User: | fox_bard (403583)  Portrait of a Fox-Lad in Smokey Light & Shades o' Grey
Emerging from the Realm of Shadows to dance the Pattern of a Druid Bard. |
|||||
| Name: | Xandre | |||||
Message | Send fox_bard a text message on his/her cellphone/pager. | |||||
| Location: | Maryland, United States | |||||
| E-mail: |
| |||||
| LJ Talk: |
|
|||||
| Bio: | "The harp of the forest sounds music, the sail gathers - perfect peace. Colour has settled on every height, haze on the lake of full waters." ~Irish, Anonymous, 9th century
Who present, past and future sees Whose ears have heard the holy word That walked among the ancient trees..." ~William Blake, Songs of Experience 1. This is my journal. I write for my own pleasure, and no one else's. HOWEVER, this is in conjunction with being impeccable with my word. Words are important. Words can heal; words can maim. They are the weapons of the soul, and they can be the great restorative for the spirit. Thus, I will do my best to not be blatantly offensive in my communications. Self responsibility and accountability starts with owning what we say and how we say it. I would appreciate the same treatment in return. Words matter. Tone matters, too. If you have any issue with what I place in my entries or comments, please come to me in a calm manner and we will discuss it like reasonable adults - without finger pointing or name calling. I strive to keep harmony in my LJ circle. And, you know, if someone is wrong, then they're wrong. Even me. We're all souls undergoing the experience of being human, and we're all prone to mistakes. There is no shame in admitting to error; there is only shame in the maintained concealment of it for the sake of vengeful pride. 2. I may not always comment, but I do read. If you are friending me to up your comment quotient, I'm not your man. But when I do comment, I always do so genuinely from the heart. I don't like to give empty comments for the sake of commenting or keeping someone on my friends list. I communicate when my spirit moves me to do so. 3. I believe that humour is the cure to what ills us. I am admittedly acerbic and satirical in my posts because this keeps my head level and allows me to see the humour in a given situation. It is my method of dealing with the random crap the universe throws at me. I curse a lot, too... but that's part and parcel of generic East Coast speak. I try to keep my journal a safe place for all of my LJ friends as much as humanly possible, and anything that can severely impair the working LJers' ability to read their friends page is listed with due warning behind a 'cut'. Nevertheless, treat this as an adult (18+) place wherein I occasionally write about adult subject matter. Please keep that in mind before adding me to your own LJ galaxy. 4. I am usually up for a good academic conversation, even a debate, on nearly every topic under the moon and the sun. It's the best vehicle for learning and evaluating what we know. I am all for diverging points of views and philosophies on a myriad number of topics. A large focus of this journal is to become a place where minds from a multitude of varying backgrounds, ethnicities and religious paths can meet and grow on a number of fascinating subjects. HOWEVER, please keep the condescending edge from the implied tone of your message when entering a debate - and always come to the table with the material researched and your argument prepared (i.e. think about it before you type it). The more academic you are, the more I expect out of you, the more you should expect of yourself - and in return, you should expect a lot from me in this respect. 5. Opinions are acceptable. But do not confuse an opinion with fact, and do not confuse perception with ultimate truth. The universe is a fantastic and fluid place. Do not block out all that it has to offer by only concentrating on your experience to the exception of all else, lest you stagnate and choke on the seeds of your own bitter fruits. In addition, do not take opinions personally - my own or anyone else's that may speak here. If someone acts stupid, their stupidity will reflect on them, no matter how smug they are about it. Just make fun of them using their own faulty logic against them, and we'll all feel better. Respect your opinions and the opinions of others in my journal. Be prepared that your opinions may change over time and that this is a good thing. Holding on to a dead opinion is like fucking a dead horse - it smells bad, it's putrid, it's a sure sign of necessary psychiatric evaluation - and in the end it is just bloody useless. 6. Senseless flame wars between friends will be frozen and/or outright deleted. Own your words, own your opinions and own your Self. Be an adult, and leave it to the kiddies to scream and cry. Assholishness and blatant ass-hattery will not be tolerated - rest assured that it will be met with a suitable reprimand. It's about compensation, my friends, never vengeance. 7. Do not assume that everything I discuss is about you. If it was, this would be your journal, not mine. I tend to do emotional (comments off) posts so that I can put my feelings in their proper perspective before moving on. These are my emotions, and they are about me. If you are inadvertently triggered by them (and I go well out of my way to avoid triggering people, since I don't like to be triggered), then that's an issue you must resolve within yourself. Chances are, it goes way back and I'm just the accidental catalyst for making an old war wound twinge. If you examine it on your own, in your own time, it will make you better and stronger inside of yourself. 8. Never mother me or attempt to enable me. I enable my own piss-poor behaviour too much as it is. I don't need help from an outside source to tell me what to do and how to do it. If you try, I will demand photos of boobies and nipples... because I'm not getting mothered without female breasts to do the comforting. In fact... skip the life lessons you may wish to impart, or any concerns, and just send me the pics of your tits. It will save your fingers the energy of typing, and I promise I'll get a lot more joy out of it while I'm solving my own problems. (Ass-Covering Disclaimer: I only accept pics of breasts that are 18 years of age or older. Other than that, I don't really discriminate.) 9. I do accept the wisdom of another's experience, as long as it is presented as a suggested option and not a commandment on how to live. That's the method by which I try to impart my knowledge base. I will respect your beliefs, philosophies and opinions, even if I do not agree with them. This is your right as a sentient being. I expect you to respect my beliefs, philosophies and opinions - whatever you personally feel in regard to them. That's my right as a sentient being. 10. Do not assume I am ignorant of a subject unless I outright state that I am. I've got lots of useless trivia rattling around in my skull, and I hate to be approached like I'm an ignorant git. When I don't know something, I will acknowledge it and then try to learn more about it. The point of learning is to learn, not to beat someone else over the head with how bloody smart you are. You can be a genius and still have the social acumen of a four year-old, which will null and void even the most solidly reliable facts in your argument. I concede to accurate data, but I refuse to be bullied in my own journal. 11. I am a supportive friend, but I will not enable you to stay in a victim role. Pain and suffering are meant to challenge us, as a forge hammers metal into shape. Stay too long in the flames, and you'll get brittle. When something emotionally hurts us, we are being given a wake up to get away from that which hurts and start healing - just like touching a boiling pot on an oven burner. The longer we keep touching it, the greater the burn. When I see someone hurting, my first response is to help by offering an outside perspective with a measure of understanding. Once I have said my peace, I tend to stand back and let people work on their own issues. This DOES NOT mean I am not still supportive, but do not expect me to just say the same thing over and over again in twenty different ways for the same specific underlying problem. 12. Do not misinterpret my words by misreading them with your feelings. I put a lot of time and energy into every word I type, and then I edit to be sure I'm using the words I want in the cadence I need. What I say, I mean to say. Writing affords me the time to think it through instead of spouting off at the mouth at high velocity. Read everything and realize what I intend before you heap your baggage on top of it. 13. Finally, lead by example. It is the first step in combating personal hypocrisy, of which the human race is thoroughly imbued. Turning the other cheek is not about getting the other side of your face slapped. It's about ducking to the side while that Drama Bullet is winging past your head - like Neo in The Matrix. If you're really good, you can boomerang that bullet back to sender, right between the eyes. Allow someone to prod you into an emotional response, and they have the strings to control you. Keep your head clear, your mind level, and stand within your personal sovereignty of truth. I solemnly promise to do my very best to uphold my end of this contract. I may not always succeed, but I will admit when I fall, pick myself up, dust off my britches, and stand again on my own two feet. This is how respect is built. I am also nowhere near as intimidating as all this seems. ^__^ Further Etiquette: I generally go by "Xandre" (pronounced Zan-der), not Alex, and most certainly not Xan or Al. It's a pet peeve of mine. And no - I do not go by this variation of my name because of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sorry. If you have any interest in contacting me, I encourage email with something in the header mentioning LiveJournal. I delete spam with an iron clicker, so if you don't have LJ somewhere in the subject, hang it up. If I deem you rude, I am blocking you with every method at my disposal. Due to the need for personal privacy, this journal is Friends' Only. I prefer that if someone friends me, they leave a comment on one of my rare public entries with at least a hello. This is not a guarantee I will add you back, though. If you want to be added you will have to let me know, and please go about it in a polite manner. If you drop me, I'll drop you, end of discussion. Yes, I have issues. No, I'm not apologizing for them. "Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn." ~Gore Vidal
Me, Myself, and I: I am a 2006 graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with my Bachelor's of Arts in History, the focus of which is in Medieval and Renaissance studies. I am also a classics geek who has rigorously studied three years of college-level Latin in its Classical, Silver Age, and Medieval forms. Eventually I'll go back for my graduate degree, but... not until my student loans are paid off. I play the Irish tin whistle and flirt with the Celtic harp quotidian. I practice both five days a week, but I still consider myself highly amateur as a musician. Yes, I am a perfectionist, and I've been told I'm my own worst critic. ::snort:: I believe that the world is the worst critic of all, and anything less than the absolute best is often mocked on a planet where time and money are king. That being said, I am currently working on my career to be a writer of historically and mythologically accurate fantasy/fiction. I had hoped to be finished my first novel by early December of 2007, but I recently found a huge wealth of research material, and I am now learning and weaving this new knowledge into the tapestry of the story. So it's going to take longer than originally expected, but the full tale will be all that much the better for it. I'm tremendously excited about the new/continued direction the trilogy is heading in!   My current avatar scheme is of Sha Gojyo from Saiyuki, in case you are the type of person who is curious about that sort of thing. I personally love anime avatars for the range of emotion they lend while maintaining some measure of anonymity. I am a MDRF rennie, and in the MD Renfaire scene I am affiliated with The International Brotherhood of Rogues, Scoundrels and Cads, The Guild of St. Nikita, in addition to The Order of Drunken Sots. I am also L'Epine, one of the dubious Lords of Greenhall. Spiritually, I am a polytheist/pantheist Celtic reconstructionist neo-pagan on the path of Bardic Druid mysticism with a healthy dose of my own eclectic animistic beliefs and intricate philosophies. I am currently enrolled in the Bardic Grade studies in the Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids. I have also previously been a member of Ár nDraíocht Féin. My spiritual leanings are not up for debate, so if you are here on a quest to "save" a heathen pagan, go away or I shall taunt you unmercifully. I'm not particularly religious, but I am very spiritual. Nor do I consider myself a teacher, since I belong to the school of Find-Your-Own-Way through academic research and logical intuition. I am admittedly bisexual and an unrepentant flirt, but very much in love with a wonderful person who goes by ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} dazzedelf. In case you need this spelled out for you, this means I'm currently in a homosexual relationship. If you're not down with that, take it elsewhere. I have absolutely zero tolerance for homophobes and hate-mongers. However, please do NOT think that this means I have no carnal interest in women at all. Sexually, I actually prefer women to men; it just happens that I found a deep connection with someone irrespective of the shell that person resides in. And in case I somehow didn't make myself clear: I identify as bisexual - not gay.Inspired Thought: Never judge a book by its cover. Publishers use cover art for marketing purposes only, and rarely consult the author or give the artist the manuscript to work from. Sometimes I am a major extrovert, other times I am painfully shy. There is no calendar, star chart, rhyme or reason to gauge which one I'll be. We're just going to have to wing it. Everything else is personal and will undoubtedly leak out in my posts in unguarded moments of angst. If this sounds good and reasonable to you, then I'm most likely willing to take a chance if you are. Else, think but this and all is mended: that you have but slumbered here, while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme is no more yielding but a dream," ~William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream; Act V, scene 1 | |||||
| Memories:: | 41 entries | |||||
| Pictures: | over 80 public | |||||
| Interests: | 150: alchemy, anime, arcane lore, armoury, autumn, autumn leaves, awen, bards, bisexuality, blackmore's night, blue öyster cult, buccaneers, calligraphy, castles, celtic music, chançons de geste, charles de lint, chess, chivalric code, clipper ships, cobblestone, cthulhu mythos, cuisleannach, d&d, danse macabre, dazzedelf, dominance and submission, dragons, druid, druidry, dueling, edgar allen poe, elves, enigmas, epee, epics, faerie, fantasy, feadòg, fencing, feudalism, fiddles, foamy, fog, foil, forests, foxes, gaelic, gargoyles, george r.r. martin, ghosts, goliardic literature, gothic cathedrals, graveyards, gregorian chants, gremlins, gypsies, harps, harry potter, hearts of space, heraldry, high middle ages, history, homage, horslips, imbas, immortality, impaling things, italian renaissance, j.r.r tolkien, jazz, jethro tull, jousting, kitsune, knighthood, labyrinths, latin, literature, long hair, loreena mckennitt, machiavelli, manga, masques, mediaeval baebes, medieval re-enactment, medieval torture, menhir stones, middle english, minstrels, mist, moonlight, moors, mythical creatures, mythology, nobility, nwyfre, obod, owain phyfe, owls, paganism, philippe de mornay, piercings, plantagenet, rapier, ravens, renaissance, renaissance festivals, revolutionary girl utena, robert graves, rogues, roleplaying, romanticism, roses, runes, saiyuki, samhain, shadows, sidhe, sleep, snoopy, snow, stars, sushi, swordplay, swords, tarot, tattoos, the blues, the medici, the moon, the muse, thorns, thunderstorms, tin whistle, trees, troubadours, tudor dynasty, twilight, v for vendetta, vampires, victorian, wenches, werewolves, william shakespeare, wine, witchcraft, wolves, woods, world music, writing | |||||
| Schools: | University of Maryland Baltimore County - Baltimore, MD | |||||
| Friends: | ||||||
| Mutual Friends: | 153: adele_cb, adelwolf, alexroseblood, alreadylostyou, alysiaskye, amberfox, amywon, andre_de_medici, angelgirl_jill, anomay, anonnymouse, apolloniansidhe, archanglrobriel, arymede, aurora_dark, ayoub, bloodangel, brokentriad, bulma18, carocrow, chaselemonde, chelle_liz, cherry_chan, chinarosewolf, chiropteraclan, cillygirl, cmerun12, cobaltlibra, conclave, crimson_moons, crow_quill, dagrrl, damaged_angel, dark_djinn, dark_shayd, dawaioser, dazzedelf, delphaicdragon, demonorangel, destinysdiamond, digitaldraco, dominature, donwaughesq, dovesshadow, dracosmusings, dracowayfarer, dreamingfalcon, dreammoon, duncan_mcguyver, eclecticbeanie, edgeofreason, elfinecstasy, elneclare, emperialle, eslington, everythingsalie, ewin, faerydusted1, fallofrain, faolanredwolf, feymaker, fire_fox01, forest, four_lords, fox_bard, frumious, fyreharper, gemmaelf, genniethefairy, glymer, gothikfaerie, gypsydove, hakudoushi, hecatesdaughter, heman, hobbitblue, hornetskaya, icywind1980, ikky, imemine, immora, impromptupaean, insheepsclothng, inyri_jax, j_v_lynch, jasper_calls, jet_jaguar3, kitsune_rei, kototh, kynthianya, l_nephthys_l, lady_foxchase, lady_rowan_chey, laurel714, ldydawnmorning, lotus_child, maestrojlr, mallora, mama_de_rose, marumae, meanoldman, miari, mighty_rontor, misspiggysworld, missyvondeire, momlady, moraxian, neenerface, nesslea, nikkinicola, ogdru_jahad, ornjkitty, paperdoil, pearls_song, phoenix600, princeps1978, purpleflame, quadrivium, rachaelwynter, randir, realkate, rionnkelly, robont, rowanchey, sebatical, seegwa, serendous, shadowdream, shadowslament, shaw_maccombe, solradia, sorchawench, sstrickl, starlightchild, sucubusmarionet, swweeks, sylvans_isis, sylvie, ta2gerlz, taea_dol, tassy, teraflops, the_proff, the_ravyn, thebirdee, troilee, twixi, valleanacamale, vega_33, voodoolimbo, ... | |||||
| Also Friend of: | 13: akane_haruka, blindice, celticorgy, dustinasche, jerris_darkrun_, kill_the_kitty, liquidmmbr, nudie, pardue, perlgronk, pinkunekosama, schmant, violentkiss | |||||
| Member of: | 22: aod_writers, armyofdawn, delians_tale, drunken_sots, harp, mdrf, medievaltorture, new_wisdom, oboddruidry, paganbard, paidmembers, permmembers, poetry_lj, pyrates_royale, queercelts, ravyn_tales, roselinedcoffin, the_family, tin_whistle, trigon_dnd, wake_the_muse, winegarden_mdrf | |||||
| Account type: | Permanent Account | |||||
