Something Wiccan this way Comes

More than ten years ago, I became a witch. Now, the next logical question for anyone who's ever seen the Wizard of Oz is, "well Chrissy, are you a good witch, or a bad witch?"

My answer, which Dorothy would never have given Glinda, is "that depends on how you're measuring." You see, I'm the Wiccan equivalent of the Christian who only goes to church for Christmas and Easter, or the Jew who skips the fasting holidays but observes the feasting. Most of the time I don't know what phase the moon is in, I don't grow lavender for luck, and I certainly don't cast spells wearing nothing but a pointy hat, but of all the religions I researched all those years ago, Wicca made the most sense to me. By that measure, I guess you could say I'm a bad witch (though by no means, I hope, a bad person).

Samhain approaches. It's the Wiccan new year, though this is not why it's so important to me (after all, I forget half of the holidays during the year). It's important to me because it's my new year. October is always a time of transition in my life and this year that is especially true. Andrew and I have gone through our first year-and-a-day of marriage, which was more of a milestone to me than I allowed myself to admit at the time. I'm transitioning careers. I feel older and maybe I even dare say wiser this year. I feel like I'm growing up in ways I can't quite measure or express, but I know they're there.

This year we're celebrating with a Twisted Tea Party (think Alice in Wonderland). Though we've got lots of fun twists to go with the theme, as in years past, I'll serve apples and meat dishes, setting a place for those I've lost, I'll light candles and read people's fortunes, and make a resolution for the new year. It's going to be a great time.

The reason Wiccans celebrate Samhain is because we know that as the days get shorter and the harvest is reaped, next year's life is already getting started. Wicca is full of symbols that understand the dual nature of things, that life and death or darkness and light are not opposites, but two sides of the same coin. I can feel my life churning in ways I don't yet comprehend, but change is happening. I can't wait to meet it.

Patching Up

For professional reasons, I haven't been able to write about a huge part of my life for the past few months. I've been looking for a new job, applying to lots of different companies (none in non-profit) in the hopes that I could take another step in my career even with the economy the way it is. Guiding me along the way were my loving and supportive husband, my family, a few friends, and the book Can I Wear my Nose Ring to the Interview? (which I highly recommend to my friends in the job-hunting trenches). Reality exceeded my hopes when I had not one, but two job really awesome offers to choose from, both coming in on the same crazy Friday that made it almost impossible to focus on my work.

On Tuesday I accepted a position as Associate Product Manager for Patch.com, a web startup that I've continuously tried to explain and failed, so here's a quote from their About Us page:

Simply put, Patch is a new way to find out about, and participate in, what’s going on near you. We’re a community-specific news and information platform dedicated to providing comprehensive and trusted local coverage for individual towns and communities. We want to make your life better by giving you quick access to the information that’s most relevant to you. Patch makes it easy to:

• Keep up with news and events
• Look at photos and videos from around town
• Learn about local businesses
• Participate in discussions
• Submit your own announcements, photos, and reviews

The site is starting out small but plans are booming, so it's the perfect time for me to get on board and try a new challenge. In addition to all the assumable and obvious perks of switching jobs, I will also finally be out of the NYCO basement and into a top-floor office in SoHo. My new boss and coworkers seem awesome and I can hardly wait until November 16th to start.

A Night In

I have been very busy lately. Of course, how else would you expect me to start my first post since August? The biggest tug on my free time has been the community theater production of Candide I've been in. I started to say "I've sold my soul to community theater" because it took up so many nights of my week that even Andrew started to forget what I looked like (ok, slight exaggeration, but he certainly began to forget what it was like to have someone buy groceries and make dinner).

I've been singing in the ensemble of the group and covering the roles of Cunegonde and Paquette, which means I now have one heck of a "Glitter and be Gay" that may not see the light of day any time soon (feel free to request it at parties...with a pianist present...after I've warmed up and before I've had more than 2 drinks). For the most part, this experience has been a lot of fun, but after months of rehearsals, and now that we're heading into our second of three weekends of performances, I'm eager for the end and the return of quiet nights in.

Last night was just such a night. I took the opportunity to work a little late (payback after getting out early so many nights for the show) and came home to a pretty ideal night. Andrew cooked dinner, we took care of some household stuff, and then snuggled in bed to watch Miss Potter with a cinnamon candle burning (my favorite) and a kitten curled up at our feet. The movie was better than I expected (I hadn't expected much, to be honest), Andrew fell asleep before the end, and I was in absolute heaven. I'm looking forward to more nights like this to get me through the winter.